I Want You To Know
by iluvtodance
Summary: Set in season 3. What if Bonnie and Kol met under different circumstances? This explores the possibility of them becoming secret allies even when they were on opposite sides of the battle. Kennett.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **TVD.**_ **I'm fine with that, because my favorite character on the show is so underrated and the writers are doing an injustice by making VD the Stefan, Elena, and Damon show. Like, Bonnie saved all you bitches. Take a seat lol Can you tell I'm still bitter?!**

 **A/N: Let's pretend that Bonnie and Kol met differently on the show. This fic loosely takes place around 3x12 "The Ties that Bind," except Bonnie had little to do with resurrecting the Original siblings. Instead, she has been fighting against Klaus, all the while Klaus attempts to gain power by getting his siblings back, so Bonnie has not met Kol and she knows little about the siblings. Klaus is the main threat. This is my take on a cool pairing, and a way that I would've liked to see Kol and Bonnie's potential dynamic!**

 **Story title music inspiration: "I Want You To Know" by Zedd feat. Selena Gomez.**

"Well, I'll just let you discuss this amongst yourselves, since I obviously have no say." Kol snatched his jacket, roughly putting it on while he addressed his siblings. "I'll just be out—you know causing trouble, being a bother, and the like." He sneered, specifically at Klaus, before backing out of the room without so much as a glance at his siblings. The door slammed behind him, leaving the rest of the Original family in a heavy silence.

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"Listen witch." Damon snarled, causing Bonnie to flinch at his anger. "Your best friend needs you now. Figure out a way to tap into your witchy woo powers so that we can defeat this asshole. It shouldn't be too hard to ask, since you're a witch." He emphasized witch as if Bonnie were two years old and unable to understand him. Damon never failed to effectively insult and degrade her every chance he got.

Anger seared through her as she glowered at him. "I'm not taking this anymore." Her voice was the epitome of calm, cool, and collected—with the exception of the slight tremor underlying the words. Even Damon blinked a couple of times to make sure that the right Bennett stood in front of him. "Call me when you learn how to speak to me. I'll give you a hint—it involves not being an arrogant jerk. Remember who has the power, Damon. Watch it." She uttered the words with such hostility that Damon couldn't even properly reply, but it didn't matter to her, since she could care less about what he had to say. Instead, she left, whipping her hair in a swift motion and striding down the hallway and out the door, making sure it slammed behind her.

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The golden, brown leaves shimmered in the warm sunlight that afternoon. The air, crisp and cool, softly blew the leaves lying on the forest floor, and Kol watched them move back and forth along his walk. Despite the serene atmosphere, the vampire's inner thoughts were plagued with blind wrath and resentment against his family, especially his older brother Niklaus. After being staked and stuffed in a coffin for hundreds of years, Kol's patience with his family has officially ran out, leaving him brimming with bitterness and even sadness, which he would never admit out loud. How long has it been, since he felt the simplicity and warmth associated with humanity? His siblings were quick to judge him as the "reckless youth who held no accountability for his actions," but how could anyone expect him to behave otherwise considering his deeply troubled family dynamic? At this point, he had nothing-just a shell of a family-along with the burden of loneliness. As he mulled over these negative thoughts, he seriously considered choosing an alternate way to burn off stress-perhaps killing-and fight against the rare emotion that assaulted him in this moment;however, the presence of a girl sitting in the middle of the woods stopped him in his tracks.

Kol immediately noticed her curly, shoulder length hair and smooth dark skin. She sat, completely motionless, but her lips moved to form a smooth string of foreign words that Kol recognized as Latin, forcing him to fully focus his attention on her efforts. Witnessing an incantation awakened his undead heart, propelling him forward as he watched the girl levitate the leaves that once lay still on the forest floor. The sight stunned him. He had found a witch.

Not being able to resist moving closer, he took a careful step forward, crinkling some of the leaves as he did so, which broke the witch's concentration. She snapped her head in the direction of the noise, a frown forming and made eye contact with the equally stunned vampire.

Green eyes met brown as Bonnie and Kol stared at one another. Bonnie, who felt drained from practicing magic, attempted to catch her breathe, while the handsome stranger stared at her, but eventually he did speak up.

"I apologize," he stated with a bow, "I didn't mean to startle you." Kol surprised himself by how gentle his tone was, but he couldn't help it when such a beautiful girl was looking directly at him.

Bonnie exhaled, offering the vampire a small smile once she realized that she wan't in danger. "It's okay. I don't own these woods." She tried to compose herself in front of the handsome stranger. "I'm Bonnie. Nice to meet you." She waved shyly at him.

The girl's warmth mesmerized Kol, and he found himself returning her kindness with a greeting of his own. "I'm Kol," he stepped forward, careful to approach slowly so that she knew he meant no harm. "Pleasure to meet you," he bowed his head again, and the gesture prompted a frenzy of butterflies to invade her stomach and a blush to tint her cheeks. He was so different from the guys from Mystic Falls.

Bonnie nodded her head in return, a comfortable silence enveloping them. Kol moved a bit closer to her before picking a spot to sit. He glanced in her direction for permission to settle, "Mind if I sit?"

Bonnie blinked rapidly, trying to clear her head that still felt lightheaded from her magic. "Not at all," she assured him. She watched as he settled down but quickly averted her eyes when he made eye contact again. He was almost too handsome to look at.

After a few moments of silence, Kol spoke. "How is that going?" He pointed to the leaves, resisting a smile when flash of panic appeared on her face before she quickly recovered.

"What do you mean?" Her tone, light and airy, implied that she had absolutely no idea what his evasive question meant, but her instinct warned her to remain alert in front of the stranger.

Not one to mince words, Kol replied. "Your magic. How are you faring in the development of your powers?"

A cold tremor traveled down her spine. "Are you..." Bonnie stammered, unsure of how to even ask if he was a warlock. Kol eventually beat her to it, but she didn't miss the sadness in his eyes.

"No. Not anymore..." He looked out into the distance before continuing. "My mother was a witch."

Frowning, Bonnie ignored the instincts telling her to run in favor of finding out more about this stranger. "You said not anymore...how-" she gulped when realization settled over her, successfully making her feel ill. She heard Kol release a deep breathe before his dark brown eyes met hers once again.

"You're a witch, so you must know a few vampires, yeah?" His gaze remained steadfast, not breaking for an instant as he watched Bonnie visibly tense and watch him with guarded eyes.

She responded flatly, showing her obvious distaste over how right he was. "I know a few."

Ironically, Kol felt a surge of fondness for this girl and felt the need to support her reservations about vampires. "It's okay to dislike them, Bonnie."

Her heart skipped at the sound of him saying her name, forcing her to meet his intense gaze. Her silence encouraged him to continue.

"As a witch, you restore balance to nature and protect the laws of nature for the Divine being itself. Thus, it is only natural for you to be repelled by vampires who are abominations of nature at their very core due to the ability to cheat death." He shrugged his shoulders, feeling an odd sensation overcome him-he forgot about how much he hated being turned. His humanity rarely showed, but now it's dominating him.

Bonnie noticed his despair, and the sight of a vampire being visibly upset about his or her existence stunned her. Her kindness and empathy prodded her, despite her initial reaction, to comfort him.

"Abomination is a harsh word. Many vampires didn't have a choice to be turned." She shifted uncomfortably upon noticing Kol's even more intense gaze directed at her.

"I never met a witch who has shown empathy for a vampire's burden." A genuine smile appeared on his face. "It seems I've met a benevolent one." He bowed his head in her direction as a sign of gratitude. The action brought a smile to her own face.

"Well, I don't think I've met such an open-minded, courteous vampire like you, so we're even." Her smile grew wider at the stunned expression on Kol's face.

If only she knew how wrong that statement was. Kol took a deep breathe as a strong sense of desolation hit him-the idea of Bonnie finding out about his dark side embedded a horrendous feeling in the Original. He could only gape at her, partially horrified and impressed by the witch before him.

She sensed his discomfort and tried to rectify it. For some odd reason, seeing him upset hurt her own heart in ways she never thought would be possible with a vampire. "I didn't meet the vampires I know by choice. My best friend became involved with one, and since that day, I have been sucked into supernatural drama. As the resident witch, I do all." She managed a weak smile, but her eyes remained dulled with sadness. "I really appreciate hearing you speak so highly of witches. It changed my previous assumption that we were destined to be mortal enemies." She rolled her eyes when Damon naturally appeared in her thoughts. "I've met horrible ones. You definitely aren't one." The sincerity in her voice comforted him. Suddenly, his fondness for her grew a million times more stronger, officially legitimizing his admiration for her...he was enamored and wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"If only you knew, little witch. He muttered the words softly, but Bonnie heard him loud and clear.

"Little witch?" She scrunched her nose in obvious distaste at the nickname. "Seriously?"

For the first time in centuries, Kol laughed heartily. "It's a compliment, love. Trust me." He titled his head, keeping his smile in tact as he waited for her response.

"Whatever you say, Dracula." It was her turn to giggle at Kol's disdain for the name.

"Really?" He whined.

Without missing a beat, Bonnie responded. "It's a compliment, love. Trust me." She continued to giggle when Kol broke out into another smile.

"Okay, love. You got me." He placed a hand over his chest, feigning hurt by her words. "Despite your teasing, I have a feeling this might be the beginning of a wonderful friendship. I mean a witch and vampire? We'll be unstoppable."

"Uh huh," Bonnie joked. "Well, I could use a vampire friend that doesn't need to use me for magic." She tapped her chin, pretending to think about it. "Okay," she shrugged.

Kol grinned, "Don't sound too excited." He stood up, fixing his leather jacket before offering his hand. "It's going to get dark soon. You don't want to be out here when all of the monsters come out and play."

Bonnie looked up at him, rolling her eyes, and scoffing. "I can handle it," she proclaimed, while taking his hand. However, once she was pulled up by Kol and mere inches from his face, she lost her confidence.

Kol smirked at his effect on her. "I know you can, little witch." He raised her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against the back of her hand, and then looped her arm through his, so she remained close as they walked.

Bonnie faltered at his gestures. She was not used to getting attention like this from guys, so her shock lingered.

Kol glanced at her, "You okay?"

Bonnie shook her head, finally finding her voice again. "Yeah, I'm just not used to the gentleman act. Boys usually let the front doors slam in front of my face when I enter school in the morning." She chuckled. "It's weird."

"Well, I am grateful for not being born in this century then."

"How old are you anyway? The vampires that I know were turned in the 1800s. Is that your era too?" She looked up at him, her curiosity peeking through.

Kol chuckled, amused by her assumption that he was that young. "Not quite." He glanced at her, feeling nervous for some odd reason. He really didn't want to reveal himself as an Original. "I was born many centuries before then."

Her jaw dropped. "That long?"

"Are you trying to say that I'm old, little witch?" He raised an eyebrow, his lips lifting into a teasing smile.

"No," she tried to backtrack, "Sorry."

Kol stopped, dragging her along. "Don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for." He watched her, very concerned by the fear in her eyes. "The vampires you know...what are they like?"

"How much time do you have?" She sighs. "Honestly, I deal with them because one of my best friends is dating one and unfortunately his brother came as a package deal." She visibly flinched. "I can't stand him."

Kol watched her in amusement. "What's so bad about him?"

"Other than the fact that he is a cold hearted, murderer? He also uses me as a punching bag. Just earlier today, he yelled at me for not risking my life more to save my friend. Me using a suicide spell to throw a maniac off wasn't enough for him; neither me harnessing the power of 12 dead witches and risking my life and sanity to get strong quickly enough to protect everyone." Running a hand through her curls, Bonnie felt exhaustion pummel her. "He doesn't care for my well being at all." She looks at Kol, leaning forward as if she was about to tell a secret. "He's also secretly in love with my friend who is dating his brother. It's messed up."

Kol listened patiently to her rant, trying to absorb all of the information. "That does sound a bit chaotic?"

Bonnie laughed at the understatement, tears filling her eyes when the frustration finally hit her. "Yeah," she whispered.

Kol noticed the sudden transition in her mood, and he felt obligated to try and fix it for her. "Hey," he beckoned while grabbing her other hand to hold. "You say the word, and I'll take care of it." He whispered the words soothingly, but there was a dangerous glint to his eyes, making Bonnie nervous.

"Like how?" She dared to ask.

Kol smiled, counteracting his threatening gaze. "Kill him, of course."

Bonnie eyes widened, an anxious giggle left her lips. "Right," she tried to joke but his intensity forced her to drop the act. "No Kol. That would be sinking to his level. You aren't like that." She stated this so confidently that even Kol felt temporarily dazed by her ability to be so amiable, self assured, and loyal to her convictions. She entranced him even more than he ever thought possible.

"If only that were true love," he whispered before letting her hand go and gently leading her forward to continue their trek through the woods. Though she was worried about his comment, Bonnie let the conversation drop in hopes that she could escape the killer vampire deal and just be normal with one of them.

"Whatever," she continued, "I have a huge chemistry test that I need to study for anyway. I won't let him bother me."

Kol smirked, "Sounds like you're yearning for normalcy, little witch."

"You have no idea," she responded while glancing at him.

"I guess I could use some as well. I too had a confrontation-but with my family. My older brother is a bloke." He clenched his jaw, trying to repress his anger. He didn't want to reveal his bad temper to this new opportunity for him to escape from his miserable existence. "I can relate."

Bonnie stared at him with concern, hesitantly tightening her grip around his arm.

The gesture, prompted him to meet her eyes. He broke out into a small smile that expressed gratitude. He never really had someone to talk to...at least in the last several centuries. The duo walked a bit longer until they reached the heart of the city. It was a beautiful night, the stars twinkled against the dark sky and created a whimsical effect on the small town.

Kol's scanned the area, eventually chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" She asked, releasing her arm and crossing both over her chest. She wore a content expression, her eyes emanating warmth.

Kol ran his fingers through his messy hair, exhaling deeply. "This place may be too normal for me." He grinned at her. "Sorry darling."

She hugged herself tighter, trying to fight the shiver that raced down her spine when he called her that. "I get it. I should go. Lots of studying to do." She shuffled her feet, suddenly nervous. Looking up, she jerked backwards when she discovered how close he stood. "Thanks for talking...it was nice." She offered him a smile that he returned.

"The pleasure was all mine, little witch." He grabbed her hand, bowing down and pressing his lips against her knuckles.

Bonnie giggled. "I still can't get used to this chivalry," she teased him, not pulling away from his grip. "Are you going to be okay...with your family?" Her sincere concern for him both shocked and flattered him.

He took a step closer, retaining his hold on her hand. This teenage witch expressing worry over the well being of a thousandth century year old vampire...one of the first vampires no less...was endearing to him. He never felt the emotion of endearment before. More like, bitterness, anger, and hunger. Without a doubt, this girl affected him.

"I'll be fine, love." In an instant, he pulled her against him, giving her no choice but to hold onto his arms in an effort to steady herself. "It's sweet though." He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against her own before releasing her. Bonnie stood still, unable to process what just happened. When she finally recovered, Kol had already left.

She placed a hand over her heart, releasing a slow breath as she made her way home. When she finally reached her destination, she quickly unlocked the door, almost missing the flower laying on the floor. Reaching down, she gingerly picked up the flower and admired it. She instantly recognized it as one of the wildflowers that grew in the forest-a deep purple bloom that added a spark of color in the otherwise slowly dying forest as winter approached. There was no note attached, but Bonnie didn't need one in order to know who it was from. She lifted the flower to her nose as she entered her house, a smile intact.

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The smile adorning Kol's face remained even when he returned to the Mikaelson mansion. Elijah had been sitting on the couch, reading a large anthology on Gothic literature when he looked up casually to acknowledge his brother; however, witnessing Kol in a good mood interrupted his concentration. He studied his brother, searching for any indication that Kol went on a killing spree that night. His efforts were futile, since no blood or sign of violence existed, but the idea of Kol finding happiness in something other than causing destruction intrigued him.

"Fine evening, brother?" His voice, stoic and poised, broke Kol's thoughts. To Elijah's surprise, Kol maintained the smirk even as he responded to his brother.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Kol walked behind the couch, pausing briefly to pat Elijah's shoulder. "I think I actually found something that makes staying in this dull town worthwhile." He left after confirming his good mood, and Elijah sat in silence while pursing his lips and descending into deep thought about Kol's sudden change in attitude. After a moment, he decided to return to his reading; after all, if Kol found something other than killing to occupy his time then the family fares better for it.

 **A/N: I'm still working on "Miss Nothing," but I had this idea and had to run with it! I hope you all enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Still don't own TVD**

The following day, Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline sat at their usual table located outside in the school's courtyard. The only person talking was Caroline—ranting about her cheer practice and Tyler's sudden infatuation with a new student. Elena completely tuned her out, staring off in the distance, obviously occupied with something else on her mind. While Bonnie reviewed her flash cards for the test that she would have 7th period.

Loving to hear herself talk, Caroline didn't mind that her friends were not listening. "So, then Tyler says 'she has moves' like what's that supposed to mean? That back hand tuck was nothing. We all could do that in our sleep." She grabbed her juice box, taking a deep sip. "Who does that blonde bitch think she is?"

"She thinks she knows everything." A smooth, mocking voice joined the conversation, and all girls left their individual tasks behind to pay attention to the source. Damon Salvatore, smirking smugly, straddled the bench and invaded Elena's personal space. The brunette became flustered by him. Damon, paying no mind to this, continued. "You were talking about yourself right?"

Caroline scowled him, grinding her teeth together. "What are _you_ doing here? You're not a student."

Damon's eyes widened mockingly, "Really? I'm not a high school student." He rolled his eyes at the blonde, "You do know everything Caroline."

Caroline slammed her empty juice box on the table, "You still didn't answer my question. Why are you lingering around our school like a creeper?"

Elena shot her a disapproving gaze, "Care, lay off. Okay? He's here to see Stefan, right?" She looked into his eyes, sucked into the intensity of his stare.

Bonnie and Caroline raised their brows, simultaneously exchanging knowing looks. "Sure," they both responded. Who knew so much sarcasm could be infused into one simple word?

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the courtyard, the target of Caroline's anger was complaining about the people of this century. "She acts so bitchy—it's not my fault that I'm better than her." Rebekah spoke these words confidently as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. Kol, who felt like he had been listening to her annoying complaints all day, sighed heavily.

"Bekah, have you ever considered trying to befriend these people so that you can better fit in? You were the one who so desperately wanted to attend high school and experience typical teenage life."

Rebekah scoffed, clearly displeased by her brother's suggestion. "I don't have to be friends with them—plus you are one to talk. Why didn't you enroll at University? You're the age of a college freshman."

Kol shook his head, "Nah. I'd rather not be stuck in a classroom listening to a boring lecture made by someone centuries younger than me."

Rebekah rolled her eyes at her brother, turning her head to scan the courtyard and immediately spotting Caroline. She smiled, a devious one rather than friendly. "There she is with her little friends. I feel like entertaining myself. Coming?" She looked expectantly at him, waiting for him to follow, but he refused.

"No," I think I may head back. Your drama bores me," he drawls his response lazily.

Back at the table, Caroline huffed over Damon's presence, preparing to lash out at him again, but the sight of Rebekah strutting towards the table seized her attention. "Ugh," she rolls her eyes. "Here she comes."

Bonnie glanced up from her flash cards, assessing the blonde who walked to the table, but soon another person caught her eye, causing her to completely forget about her studying. Kol made eye contact with her, a small smile in place as he jerked his head to the side, silently beckoning her to follow him. Without a second thought, she stood up and stuffed her flash cards in her large Vera Bradley tote that she used as a backpack and addressed her friends quickly. "I totally forgot that I need to get a book from the library for that history paper. I'll see you both later." She purposefully left out Damon, antagonizing him with just the smallest gesture. It made her feel good.

Caroline and Elena said goodbyes to their friend before Rebekah arrived at the table to start a new battle with Queen Bee Caroline for the throne of Mystic Falls High.

Bonnie walked in the direction of where Kol had been standing until she circled the building and spotted him leaning against the brick wall. Kol snapped his head in her direction.

Bonnie smiled at him as she approached. "What are you doing here?" The question was not accusatory by any means, just pure curiosity.

"I wanted to see why my sister liked this place so much, but I don't get the appeal." He shrugged his shoulders as he repositioned himself against the wall so he could see her better. "You being here was just a bonus."

Bonnie shook her head playfully at him. "So your Rebekah's brother?"

Kol winced, "Afraid so. I'm guessing the blonde that my sister currently possesses a blind hatred for is your friend?"

Bonnie nodded, confirming his observation. "Best friend."

Kol slipped his hands into his pockets. "I guess we are in a bit of a predicament then? To be quite honest, I'd rather not side against you. You are the only thing that makes this town worth it." He smiled at her blush, "What do you say, little witch? Can we remain comrades?"

Bonnie repressed the urge to giggle, instead playing along. "I guess," she feigned disinterest but soon broke out into a smile.

"Good," Kol whispered. He rested his head on the brick wall, never taking his eyes off of her. "So the others at the table..." He trailed off, hoping she would be willing to fill in the blanks for him.

She walked over to him, placing her bag on the ground, and mirrored his position against the brick wall. "The brunette is my friend who is dating the vampire. Not the one at the table though. That's the brother." She looked up, meeting his gaze. "He's obsessed with her, and I have a really bad feeling that she's falling for him too." Her breathing slowed down as she became more anxious at the idea. "She's different with him. Sometimes, I don't see my best friend anymore." The deep confession surprised Bonnie herself as well as the strong emotional reaction it triggered within her. She sniffed loudly, trying to keep the tears at bay by closing her eyes and leaning her head backwards. She felt a slight pressure against her hand, and the feeling of fingers lacing through hers confirmed the fact that Kol had taken her hand.

Kol stared at their interlocked fingers, a frown adorning his face. "I'm sorry Bonnie." The apology was genuine and well appreciated by Bonnie.

She opened her eyes, pushing herself from the wall and into Kol's arms. "Thanks," she whispered against his chest where her head now rested. She pulled away quickly, shooting Kol a nervous smile that he found charming. He released her hand, quickly tucking a stray hair out of her face. The bell rang, interrupting the moment and snapping Bonnie out of her daze. "I better go," she stepped around him, grabbing her bag and slinging it around her shoulder. Before leaving, she turned. "I'm going to the woods again this afternoon to practice magic if you want to come."

Kol offered her a small smile, "I'll be there, little witch."

Bonnie returned his smile, waving quickly before going back to the courtyard.

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After practicing her magic for more than an hour, Bonnie rested against a large tree with Kol by her side. They sat in a comfortable silence, but Kol felt the need to bring up a concern he had.

"Why are you practicing your magic for your friends? What do they need help with?"

The question startled Bonnie—she didn't know how to explain the situation, because it was so twisted and ridiculous. "Someone is threatening my friend Elena. I have been trying to strengthen my powers to defeat him."

Kol frowned, the name Elena sounded familiar to him. Where has he heard it before? Figuring it was merely a coincidence, he dropped it. "I just hope you are careful. You risk severely draining yourself by pushing the limits of your magic."

Bonnie nodded along to his warning, already familiar with the risks. "Yeah, I'm used to pushing my limits all of the time. Like I said, I'm the only witch they know, so I'm pretty busy doing their bidding." She tried to recite the words with humor, but scorn appeared instead. "I can handle it, Kol. Don't worry."

Kol looked at her, his gaze steady and intense. It was odd to see a person so willing to sacrifice herself for the well being of others. If anything, her martyrdom disturbed him. "Little witch, you shouldn't be so quick to allow others to use you for your powers. Especially if it will hurt you most in the end."

Bonnie turned to meet his gaze, sighing sadly. "I appreciate it Kol, really. But, I can handle it. I've had this conversation with myself so many times…it's useless." She shrugged, breaking eye contact.

Her defeated attitude frustrated him. "It's not useless, because it regards your safety. Why are you so willing to underestimate your worth?"

His harsh tone and bitterly true words, sent an uncomfortable chill down her spine. Her own heart rate picked up in speed, which forced her to concentrate on remaining calm. "I don't." She intended the protest to sound self-assured, but it just ended up being weak and broken. She brought her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly. She just confirmed Kol's perception of her—weak, hopeless.

He recognized her descent into despair, and the image of her spirit weakening in front of his eyes, further infuriated him. "Bonnie," he pled with her. "I'm not trying to hurt your feelings," he inwardly winced—when has he ever worried about hurting someone's feelings? _NEVER._ But, his lack of experience with the emotion of caring only fueled his efforts to make Bonnie understand that his only concern is with her. "I've lived for a long time…you are the most kind individual that I have met. Ever. It's a gift, but also can be a curse. Don't let it be your downfall."

Bonnie smiled weakly at the compliment, but it quickly disappeared. "It's not easy to turn it off, Kol. I'm not a vampire—I don't have the option of turning off the humanity switch." She rested her cheek against her knees, "I'm prepared for the consequences of my actions. It wouldn't be so bad to die to save the life of someone you love. My Grams did it for me." Tears spilled out of her eyes, soon followed by a deep sob that released the pent up hollow, desolation that has been trapped in her heart since the day Grams died. She seldom cried about it, but now she couldn't stop the hysterical cries from escaping her mouth.

Kol sat momentarily astonished by the girl's disturbing words about martyrdom and her intense breakdown that was occurring before his eyes. Despite being angry with her idea of not minding death if it meant saving a friend, he wrapped his arms around the shaking girl and pulled her against him. Bonnie's cries didn't subside, but she did allow Kol to comfort her. "I…" she sputtered the words out through her sobs, "I don't know what to do, Kol. I don't." She sobbed harder, completely settling against him as she grew fatigued by the burst of emotion.

Resting his head against hers, Kol soothed her. "It's okay, Bonnie. Shhh…calm down." Her breathing became erratic, scaring the vampire. "Bonnie," his voice sounded now more firm but equally desperate. "Please calm down. Breathe." He heard Bonnie struggle to follow his advice and catch her breath, but it only became worse. She officially entered into a full blown panic attack. In a quick movement, he picked her up to sit on his lap, holding the back of her head in support as he forced her to look at him. "Bonnie…breathe. Please. It's okay, I'm here." He released a large breath of his own, hoping to encourage her to do the same.

Bonnie stared at him, eyes wet with tears, but attempted to nod and try to calm down. She managed to slow down her erratic breathing, taking a deep breath before falling limp in his arms. "There you go," he encouraged her softly. "It's okay, little witch." He tightened his grip around her body, lowering his head to press it against her hair. Bonnie remained unresponsive, just resting her head against his neck, allowing her hair to form a protective barrier around her face.

They sat there for a long time, and Kol kept still as she fell asleep due to the exhaustion of crying. He just held her while she slept, lost in his own thoughts of worry over the girl in his arms. For the first time in a long time, he felt helpless. It wasn't until a half an hour passed that Bonnie began to stir from her brief slumber, slowly opening her eyes and adjusting to her surroundings. She ran her fingers through her hair as the memories flashed across her mind. "Kol," she murmured. She felt relief when she found him looking back at her. She sighed, throwing her arms around his neck in a silent gesture of gratitude for keeping her company, which he reciprocated wholeheartedly.

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While Kol and Bonnie spent time together in the woods, Klaus and Elijah were engaged in a tense conversation about Klaus' plans for the doppleganger. Now that their mother is here, the stakes only intensified, leaving Klaus incredibly paranoid and on edge. "I need to complete what I came here to do. My transition needs to be complete. Mother can't stop me."

Elijah stared his brother down, his eyes never faltered in the disapproval he expressed with the look. "Niklaus, I think you need to be very careful about what you do around mother. Remember how she feels about us being members of the undead. She might actually want to move forward with us as a family. Your insolence may cost us something very precious."

Klaus threw his brother a dirty look. "Precious?" He seethed, standing up to pace the room frantically, "Nothing about this family is precious. Remember what she did to us. Cursing us for all eternity."

Elijah, intrigued by Klaus' expression of hatred for vampirism, sat quietly. When he did speak, he was incredibly calm. "Niklaus, it is never too late to redeem yourself. It doesn't have to be a curse if you live differently."

Elijah glared at his idealistic brother. "Like you, Elijah? Living a ridiculous lie with your self righteous act? It's pathetic, brother. Embrace your nature. I intend to." He kicked his chair over, stomping across the room and exiting. He just missed Esther who had been gliding quietly from the other direction. The Original witch peeked into the room, smiling fondly upon seeing her level headed son. "Elijah. My love what is the matter with Niklaus?" She gracefully entered, choosing to sit in a chair close to Elijah's as she waited for her son's answer.

"It is nothing, mother. Just Niklaus and one of his moods. It'll pass," he smiled assuredly at his mother.

Esther acknowledged Elijah's words despite not believing them for a moment. "I have been thinking, my child. If we are to settle here as a family, we should have a gathering to celebrate the occasion—our family finally uniting."

Her suggestion surprised Elijah, nevertheless, he couldn't deny his mother's wishes. "If you think that will be appropriate, mother. We could start planning."

Esther smirked proudly, "Good." She settled against the back of the beautifully ornate chair, "Start creating a guest list. You may all invite guests; however, I want you to carefully monitor Kol and Rebekah's choices. Those children cannot be trusted with their questionable tempers and juvenile attitudes."

Elijah simply nodded, "Of course."

Esther smiled at her son, nodding her head once in affirmation. The Mikaelsons were hosting a party.

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After Bonnie calmed down, she and Kol walked back to town, and this time Kol accompanied her to her house. Throughout the entire walk, she and Kol remained silent, lost in their own thoughts. The mood between them was incredibly somber—Bonnie shuffled next to Kol with her eyes downcast and head pounding painfully from crying, and Kol kept his gaze forward, a scowl on his face as the image of Bonnie's breakdown replayed in his mind over and over again. At one point in the walk, he snuck a glance at her, sadly discovering that she looked more depressed than ever despite reassuring him that she felt better. He fell back into silence, which finally ended when they reached her house. The Bennett household was completely dark and seemed eerily empty, and Kol couldn't help but ask about her family. "Why is no one home yet? Do your parents work odd hours?" To his horror, he noticed Bonnie's mouth tremble, but she quickly composed herself.

"My dad is on a business trip. He's gone most of the time, so I stay by myself." She didn't bother explaining about her mother, since the topic still very much agonized her.

"I'm sorry," he professed with a frown.

Bonnie just shook her head, planting a false smile on her face. "No big deal. I'm totally used to it," she maintained the smile only until she could walk in front of him and hide the visible pain washing over her face. She bit her lip roughly, idly grabbing the scrunchy around her wrist and snapping it against her wrist. The repetitive action succeeded in calming her down but left deep red marks on her wrists. "Thanks for walking me home," she stopped in front of her steps and faced him. She had tucked her arms behind her back and rocked back and forth on her toes. "I promise I am not usually a mess." She avoided his gaze, smiling weakly.

Kol grabbed her chin, surprising her with the gesture. "Who said you were a mess?" He released her chin and took a step back, but Bonnie stepped forward and laced her arms around his waist, letting her head fall against his chest.

"Thanks," she whispered. She broke out into a genuine smile when Kol wrapped his arms around her shoulders, returning the hug with the same amount of affection.

"Don't thank me, little witch. I should be thanking you for allowing me to be in your presence."

Bonnie laughed, "Yeah right. You're my friend, so get used to it."

Kol could've sworn his heart plummeted down to his stomach. She called him her friend as if it were a completely normal concept. He inhaled a sharp breath, tightening his hold onto her.

 **A/N: Just keeping up with my writing momentum! Thank you all so much for the reviews and support on this story!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD**

 **A/N: Just a warning about a potential trigger to those of you. There will be mentioning of self-harm, so please be cautious when reading if you are sensitive to the subject. Thanks.**

When Kol returned home, he first visited the kitchen to retrieve a blood bag, a habit that shocked his family, since he usually preferred his blood fresh from victims he kills. But meeting Bonnie convinced him to try and avoid that approach as much as possible. After poking a hole at the top with his fangs, he began to drink and walk towards the den where his family sat quietly in concentration. He frowned at the peaceful quiet; it bothered him. "Why is everyone so quiet?"

His words caused everyone to look up from their individual tasks, leaving him targeted by the suspicious gazes of his family. Rebekah responded first. "Nice of you to join us, Kol. Did you have a nice kill?"

Kol rolled his eyes at his sister, "No. You do see me drinking from a blood bag, right." He idly stood behind her and looked over her shoulder, his eyes widening as he burst out laughing.

Rebekah glared at him. "What?"

"Is Matt Donovan your next victim, sis? How precious! Rebekah is falling for a human." His smile broadened when Klaus visibly tensed.

"What?" Klaus barked.

Faltering, Rebekah scrambled to defend herself. "How did you even know he was human?" She scoffed when Kol continued to stare, effectively ending Rebekah's attempts to lie. "Fine," she hissed. "But mother said we could invite guests of our own to the party, so mind your own business."

Kol scanned the room, trying to figure out who could explain. "A party? Whatever for?"

Klaus sighed, impatient with his younger brother. "Mother would like to celebrate the unity of this family."

Kol choked on the blood he swallowed. "Pardon me? That's idiotic."

"Kol," Elijah commanded. "Enough. You will participate and make mother happy."

Kol glared at his older brother, disliking the authoritative tone he used. He could kill every person in this town without batting an eyelash, yet his siblings still treated him like a child. He chose not to respond to Elijah's scolding.

Instead, Kol crept toward Klaus and discreetly hovered over his older brother's shoulders to see if he could detect any hint of Klaus' chosen guest. Currently, Klaus drew as if under a trance, his brows furrowing in concentration as he filled in the outlines of a portrait. Kol assessed the drawing as he sipped on his blood bag, noticing a girl with delicate facial features on Klaus' sketch pad. Underneath the drawing, he spotted a name written in neat calligraphy: _Caroline Forbes._ Kol paused mid-sip of his blood as he racked his brain for information on the familiar name. He quickly glanced at Rebekah, finally remembering—she was the girl Rebekah was complaining about earlier that day. Bonnie's friend. As soon as his brain processed this information, he spat out the blood he'd been drinking. It was a classic sketch comedy moment, Kol wide eyed and gaping at his brother who now wore AB positive on his face.

"Kol," growled Klaus.

Kol raised his hands in surrender, "Oops." He didn't actually look apologetic, but he did try. It was the thought that counted.

Klaus abandoned his sketch pad, ready to lunge at Kol, but he ran into an invisible barrier that prevented him from moving.

"Niklaus," the clear authoritative voice swept over the room, successfully managing to still every Original vampire in the room. Esther, in her standard regal fashion, stared down her son in an iron clad gaze that only served as a warning. Klaus stopped, obeying his mother's unspoken command. "Children, this is supposed to be a celebratory event. Let's remember this." Her eyes left Klaus, now focusing on the rest of her children. "Guest list ready?"

Elijah spoke up first, " I thought it best to extend an invitation to Elena Gilbert, a descendant of one of the founding families."

This made Rebekah laugh. "Of course you would. After all, she is an exact replica of _Katerina_."

Elijah clenched his jaw, choosing to ignore his sister's mocking comments. "I have also chosen to invite the Salvatore brothers, both Stefan and Damon, to the ball." Elijah felt satisfied at Rebekah's discomfort, effectively silencing the blonde vampire. Her history with Stefan Salvatore still brought up intense bitterness. He continued, "They wouldn't let the girl out of their sight anyway."

Kol rolled his eyes. The Salvatore brothers sounded pathetic.

Esther nodded, approving of her son's choices. She settled her gaze on Kol next. "Kol? Do you have guests in mind?"

Of course, the first person he thought of was Bonnie, but the idea of her being around his unstable, dysfunctional family troubled him. Apparently, neither his siblings or mother thought to include her anyway. Perhaps, she would remain safer this way. "Nope," he shrugged as a lazy smile adorned his face. "I have no mates in mind." He glanced in Klaus' direction. "How about you Niklaus? Who is your special guest?" He reciprocated Klaus' glare with a smug smile. He couldn't wait to sit back, relax, and watch the show when Bekah lost her mind.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I am choosing to invite Caroline Forbes. I'll have the most beautiful girl on my arm, which is how it should be."

Kol nodded his head, mockingly faking interest in Klaus's answer. He looked at Rebekah, and his smile grew when he caught her murderous expression. He leaned against the mantle, crossing his arms, and leisurely waited for the show to start in 3, 2, 1...

"What?!" Rebekah's shriek reverberated throughout the entire house.

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The week had passed fairly quickly for Bonnie. Every afternoon after school, she hung out with Kol and returned home to get homework done. It was currently a Friday afternoon. She just crossed the threshold to her house, quickly locking the door behind her, and dragged her feet to the couch where she collapsed in exhaustion. Kol had a family thing that afternoon, so Bonnie was free to rest until she was summoned for her "witchly" duties. The buzz of her cell-phone made her groan in frustration. She couldn't even have a free minute to herself. Without getting up from her spot on the couch, she dug her phone out to read the text.

 _Emergency meeting at boarding house!-Caroline._

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Bonnie was the last to arrive, so when she entered the house and walked into the living room, several pairs of eyes fell on her, successfully causing her to freak out. "What's going on?" She walked closer, noticing a pile of envelopes on the table.

"Just sit, witch." Damon snapped, "We don't have time."

Bonnie glared at him, choosing a seat next to Matt who gave her a small smile. Bonnie smiled back, lifting her arm and resting it casually on his shoulder. She stared at Damon expectantly. "So?"

Damon stared at her, a mix of disgust and disbelief on his face. "So?" He repeated, his temper surging into dangerous territory. "Stop acting clueless Bennett and turn in your invitation."

Bonnie continued to stare at him, her eyes narrowing. "What are you talking about?"

Matt reached forward, grabbing an envelope and handing it over to Bonnie. She hesitantly accepted it, opening it quickly and reading the text.

 _You are cordially invited to a ball hosted by the Mikaelson family._ _Saturday November 30th at 7:00 pm_ _._ The last line on the invitation was handwritten in a neat script _. 'Hope you'll join me, love' –-Klaus._

Her jaw dropped, suddenly feeling lightheaded and incredibly agitated. "Klaus?!" She screamed. Her eyes shifted back and forth amongst her friends frantically. "I've been killing myself trying to strengthen my magic to defeat this monster, and you're going to his house party?!" She turned the envelope around, her mouth falling open upon when seeing Caroline's name scrawled at the top. She threw the envelope on the table, suddenly disgusted at the idea of touching it, and began to snap the rubber band that rested on her wrist.

Either not noticing her visible distress or simply not caring, Damon argued back. "We didn't start befriending Klaus, witch. This obviously is a set up."

Bonnie glanced at the envelope and then Caroline who sat quietly wringing her hands together. "Maybe not completely," she retorted. "Why are we here? You all were invited to a party. Have fun." Her terse responses and angry tone shocked her friends.

A concerned Elena couldn't help but vocalize this concern. "Bon, are you okay? We haven't seen you around lately."

Exasperated with Elena's sudden observation of Bonnie's absence, she snapped. "I've been mostly M.I.A because I have been pouring over my grimoires for new spells and ways to make me stronger. I'm so exhausted I can hardly think straight, yet I never received one text or even phone call from anyone to check whether I'm okay. But, why would you? You assumed I was working, so you could rest easy knowing that I was spending my time trying to help you, right?"

Hurt by Bonnie's sharp retort, Elena lowered her head solemnly. Stefan wrapped an arm around her, and Damon stepped back into the ring for round 2. "What the hell is your problem? Elena is one of the few people in this room that can stand you. Don't talk to her that way."

Before Bonnie could respond, Matt spoke up. "Speak for yourself," he stated. "My loyalty is with Bonnie. Always."

Caroline echoed his statement, "Yeah. Don't talk to her that way. Can't you tell that she is exhausted? Insult her again and I'll kick your ass."

Relief washed over Bonnie, temporarily halting her assault on her wrist for a moment to let her friends' defense soothe her.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We'll all just go to this stupid thing and scope out the Original family." He glared at Bonnie, "Those of us who were invited of course." His rude remark ignited Bonnie's anger.

"It looks like it," she tilted her head at Damon. "You should feel at home Damon. It's like you've jumped back into a time machine and returned to 1865. A Bennett being excluded."

She stared him down, watching his face contort in horror at what she was implicating. "Get over yourself, Bennett. It's not a race thing."

Elena and Caroline looked at their best friend, almost paralyzed by the discomfort that they felt at this conversation.

Bonnie whispered. "Yeah. I need to get over myself. I'll just return home to my grimoire and slave away to figure out ways to serve your purposes—like my ancestors did for yours." Her voice trembled, suddenly feeling the intense emotional pain that surfaced. She released a deep breath, shakily standing up and holding up her hand, signaling everyone to stop, when her friends followed her actions. "Just stay...I'm going home. Figure out a plan yourselves. For the first time ever, I'm not involved." She backed away, eager to get out of there. Once in her car, she turned the ignition and switched her gear to drive before speeding away. She didn't stop driving until she reached the "Welcome to Mystic Falls" sign.

Parking her car on the side of the road, Bonnie got out to sit on the hood of her car. She sat there quietly and unmoving for a long time until tears trickled down her face and her composure broke. Sobs overwhelmed her along with a desperate, knawing feeling in her stomach that frightened her. She felt trapped, hopeless, and disconnected to everything—a weird combination of feelings that suffocated her. Not knowing what to do, she jumped off the car and walked around in circles as she nervously snapped the rubber band around her wrist, trying to see if these feelings would pass but they did not. When Bonnie finally reached her limit, she halted her movements. Looking down, she saw a deep red gash on her wrist, leaving her speechless. _How did that happen?_

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After not hearing from Bonnie for two days, Kol decided to visit her. He stood on her front lawn, trying to figure out the best way to make his presence known. He noticed a light in the top right corner window, an idea forming in his head.

Bonnie had just returned from the kitchen to get a glass of water when a soft knocking on her window startled her. She finally relaxed when Kol came into view and rushed over to unlock the window. "Kol—what are you doing? How did you even…" Her eyes swept over the distance, her stomach twisting at the height. When she met his eyes, he smiled at her.

"Vampire," he stated as if that was enough of an explanation. Bonnie seemed to accept it, nodding her head before falling silent. Kol waited for her to invite him in, but it didn't happen. "Little witch," he struggled to perch himself on the windowsill, a careful distance away from the invisible barrier that protected her house from him. "I wanted to see you. I haven't heard anything from you."

Bonnie's eyes softened. "I appreciate it, Kol." She suddenly remembered that he was uncomfortably positioned near her window, "Oh! I'm sorry. Come in," she stepped to the side to allow him to step inside. It took Kol a moment to get over the initial surprise of her willingness to trust him before he carefully climbed through the window.

He was close enough now to notice Bonnie's disheveled appearance—her eyes were bloodshot from crying and her was nose red from the overuse of tissues. He looked down, noticing the bandage on her wrist. "What?" He stepped forward, gently grabbing her wrist to inspect it closer, but Bonnie dodged out of the way.

"I'm okay, Kol."

Her assurance fell on empty ears as Kol once again moved towards her, this time wrapping an arm around her waist so that she couldn't get away. He reached for her arm, bringing the bandaged wrist closer. It didn't seem to be a magic related injury... He looked down, his lips turned downward when he studied Bonnie. "Love," he murmured. He suddenly lost track of the words he wanted to say; instead, worry consumed him.

Bonnie took a shaky breathe and allowed herself to relax in Kol's arms. "I had a fight with my friends on Friday, but it's okay. I just needed the weekend to process. I'm fine, really."

Kol didn't believe her, but he kept that thought to himself for the time being in order to avoid further upsetting her. "What about?"

Bonnie closed her eyes. "Remember how I told you that I've been strengthening my magic in order to protect my friend from a maniac?"

Kol nodded slowly and gently tightened his grip around her waist. "Yes."

"Well, my friends called me over for an emergency meeting to talk about invitations that they received from the very same psycho to attend this ball at his house. Can you believe that? And they are actually going. Apparently, it's a strategy to defeat Klaus, but I think it's stupid of them to go." She finished her small rant with a sigh. As she spoke, she didn't notice the way Kol's entire body stiffened in horror and how his dark brown eyes turned almost black. It suddenly made sense. Bonnie's friend is the doppelgänger Klaus needs to kill to complete his transition into a full hybrid.

"What's wrong?"

Kol rubbed a hand over his face, "Nothing. I just remembered that I need to do something." He took her hand, leading her to the bed.

Concern for the vampire dominated Bonnie. "Kol..." She stopped when he suddenly grabbed her and placed her in bed. Blinking rapidly, Bonnie watched him adjust the covers over her and then kneel beside her.

"What's wrong?" The roles completely reversed with Bonnie expressing serious worry over Kol. When he didn't react, she lifted her arm to rest her hand against his hair, stroking it in a soothing gesture. The action snapped Kol out of his trance, grabbing the hand that ran through his hair and bringing it to his lips. He pressed several kisses against it, pleading silently for forgiveness. Of all the people who had to be part of his brother's twisted plot, it had to be her. Anger boiled within him, but he fought against it not wanting to frighten her.

He lifted his head and looked into her worried eyes. "Nothing, my little witch. I just want you to feel better." The last part was the only truth.

Bonnie offered him a small smile, her stomach fluttering at his affection. "Don't worry. I'm going to be fine. I just needed to cry it out before facing reality again on Monday. I'll handle it."

Kol kissed her hand again, leaving his lips there to respond. "I know you can." He whispered the words with a mixture of pride and sadness. He knew Bonnie Bennett was a force to be reckoned with, but she shouldn't be tainted by evil. She was too good, pure—he cleared his throat, getting up quickly. He had to get out of there before he blurts out that he is the psycho's brother. A horrible sensation of dread burdened him at the thought of Bonnie seeing him as an enemy. Something to fear and destroy.

Bonnie tugged his hand, trying to get his attention again. "Kol...you're worrying me." Her words were successful in getting his attention, but his sudden distance scared her.

"I have to get back home. My family needs help with something." He released her hand and walked to the window.

"Wait!" Bonnie panicked. "You're going to meet me tomorrow afternoon, right?"

Kol grimaced. "I can't, love. I'm sorry. I'm going to be busy with family obligations."

Bonnie bit her lip, disappointment flooding through her. "Oh, okay."

Her obvious disappointment broke his dead heart, and he couldn't just leave her like that. He approached her carefully, grabbing the side of her face and lifting it as he kissed her forehead. "I apologize, my little witch." He pulled away, looking deeply into her eyes.

Bonnie's breath hitched in her throat and she felt mesmerized by his gaze. It felt like an old vampire movie where the girl is lured in by the vampire's enchanting stare. She quickly broke the contact, choosing instead to grab his wrist and stroke it. "It's okay." She focused on his cheek, quickly propping herself on her knees so that she could kiss it. She immediately returned to her sitting position and began to adjust her covers in a nervous attempt to hide her blush. "I'll see you later." When she was settled, she looked into his eyes, which were glowing with affection for her.

Kol nodded. "Bye little witch." He glanced at her one more time before climbing out of the window and closing it.

Bonnie watched him leave, unable to shake the feeling that this goodbye felt oddly final.

 **A/N: I'm on a roll lol Thank you all so much for the kind reviews and for favoriting and following the story. I'm on February break, so I've been taking advantage of my writing time. I will update soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD.**

On Friday night, the night before the ball, Bonnie hung out with Caroline and Elena during what Caroline called "a fashion crisis." Despite the fact that this ball was being thrown by the very guy who had been torturing, stalking, and threatening them for the last two months, both Caroline and Elena chattered excitedly about the party as they searched through their dresses like it was Prom night. Being the ever-faithful friend, Bonnie diligently judged the dresses shown to her, every once in a while giving her opinion on it before tuning out the noise of everything surrounding her and getting lost in her thoughts. Her resentment towards the ball, her friends' willingness to attend with no questions asked, and her most recent obligation to stake out the party as a safety back up plan fueled her anger. However, she desperately needed company, especially since Kol had been M.I.A since the night he knocked on her window, so she was willing to do anything to make the ache go away.

After hearing Bonnie and Caroline's approval, Elena stepped into the bathroom to get changed while rambling about how the dress must be "perfect."

Bonnie shook her head, looking up at Caroline. "Stefan is going to love anything that she's in. There's no need to stress."

Caroline, who had been staring at a dress, scoffed at Bonnie's observation. "It's not Stefan she's worried about," she and Bonnie made eye contact, silently understanding each other. She was worried about the other Salvatore brother.

Bonnie rolled her eyes before putting on a fake smile for her friend that stepped out of the closet. Elena's dress was beautiful, and as usual, she looked amazing in it. No crisis. "That's totally it," Bonnie stated this with finality. "Care?" She focused her attention on Caroline who had reverted back to staring at the dress in her hands.

The blonde's head snapped up, her eyes wide and caught off guard like she was a deer caught in the headlights of a car barreling towards her. "What? Oh, totally." She smiled and dropped the dress into the box, which caused a small card to fall. It landed on the comforter giving Bonnie a chance to look—her heart skipped as she read the message.

"Caroline," she whispered her friend's name with a tense, disconnected tone that made Caroline wince.

She closed her eyes, forcing the words painfully out of her mouth. "Klaus invited me to be his date. Apparently, he has a thing for me."

Caroline hesitantly opened her eyes to look at Bonnie, suddenly regretting the decision when she noticed the distrusting look on her friend's face. "I'm just playing along to get more information, Bon." At this point, she resorted to begging. "Okay? It's not what you think."

Bonnie continued to stare Caroline down, refusing to pretend that she was okay with the idea. "And what happens when Klaus finds out? If he is this obsessed with you then don't you think leading him on is a colossal mistake? You're playing with emotions that none of us thought Klaus was capable of." Bonnie couldn't believe that Caroline hadn't put more thought in this. What kind of person could Klaus be when he was in love with someone? She shuddered at the thought. "He'll never let you go, Caroline. Please don't do this."

Elena, who stood off to the side quietly watching the tense exchange, suddenly decided to intervene when she recognized the look of panic on Caroline's face. If anyone could convince the stubborn Caroline to rethink a decision, it was Bonnie Bennett.

"Bon, it's not just Caroline's idea. We all got together and made a mutual decision about how this is the best way to crack him. We'd be careless not take advantage of this opportunity to make him vulnerable."

Bonnie listened to Elena with a grim expression in tact as her judgmental eyes bore into her friend's own. She released a deep breath, rolling her eyes as she did so and tilting her head to the side. Frustration and raw anger were the only two emotions that controlled her in this moment. "Elena... do you realize that every time you form a plan with the Salvatore brothers one of us gets completely screwed over?" She brushed away a few stray curls her face with an impatient sigh. "It feels like your loyalty is elsewhere."

Bonnie's words blindsided Elena, leaving her sad, but mostly defensive against her friend's accusation. "I'm trying to survive Bonnie! Klaus is after me—he wants me dead. You of all people should understand, because you have been doing everything you can to protect me. No plan is off limits if it means making sure that I'm safe."

Bonnie and Caroline were completely taken off guard by the turn in this conversation. Elena had never sounded so horribly selfish before. However, the source of of her new personality remained obvious to both girls.

Shifting her position on the bed so Caroline was in clear view, Bonnie addressed her as if Elena wasn't in the room. "Why is it when she talks, all I hear is Damon's voice?"

The comment caused Caroline to exhale haughtily, while throwing a dirty look in Elena's direction. "They have been inseparable lately."

Caroline's contribution to the conversation drove Elena over the edge. "Shut up Caroline." She hissed the words so harshly that Caroline didn't make an effort to respond; instead just listening to the brunette's rage. "Don't pretend like you aren't loving the attention from Klaus. He's a billion times worse than Damon, so don't even say anything." She sneered, throwing her hair back. "It would make you a hypocrite."

Bonnie rushed to defend her best friend, "Look who is talking? Nothing matters but yourself."

Elena directed her assault on Bonnie now. "Please. You're just jealous because no guys pay attention to you. It's been like...what? Over a year since your last boyfriend? Jake moved on immediately unlike you. It's pathetic Bonnie, honestly."

Tears pricked her eyes as she stared at Elena, completely horrified. She could only sense the movement behind her, knowing that Caroline officially snapped. She thrust her arm out, keeping Caroline from attacking Elena. Caroline grabbed Bonnie's shoulder before speaking. "You are such a bitch." She glared, her whole body shaking with anger. "Bonnie's right. You are selfish. Not to mention a pathetic excuse for a friend. You know how hurt Bonnie was over that."

She glanced at Bonnie, squeezing her shoulder in comfort.

Bonnie managed to force her mouth into a sad smile, placing her hand over Caroline's before turning to face her. "I'm going to go. I'll be there tomorrow, okay. For you." She gave Caroline a quick hug and stormed out of the room without a single glance in Elena's direction.

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Kol needed fresh air. He could no longer stand being ogled over by the single party guests, watching the Salvatore brothers' absolutely pathetic rivalry over the boring doppleganger, or witnessing Klaus try (and fail) to impress the young blonde vampire—-a sight that provided unlimited amusement for Kol but also made him cringe. Finally breaking away from the party, Kol released a large sigh of relief when the cool night air greeted him.

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Bonnie was officially over being a party crasher. The past two hours passed by insufferably slow, and during the majority of her time hovering outside, Bonnie severely questioned her purpose to being here. First, she wasn't even invited, but she still had to watch Elena and Caroline play dress up and excitedly chat about what the party would be like. Second, there was no obvious danger to anyone, because they were all invited guests, and in Caroline's case, precious to one of the main family members. Third, Bonnie spent two hours outside like a fool, waiting for something to happen but also putting herself in direct danger if something does. After all, she was just a bodyguard for them. Witches would always have an advantage over vampires, so the only reason for being here is to bail them out if something goes wrong. In addition to all of this, Jeremy insisted on keeping Bonnie company, mostly due to his intense bitterness over not being invited like Elena, and he was no help at all.

Bonnie shifted her focus on Jeremy, ultimately rolling her eyes when she found him texting his girlfriend Anna. That's all that he had done the entire night.

The tall boy frowned as he read an incoming text, and without looking up from the phone, he spoke. "Bon, I need to call Anna quickly. I'll be back."

Bonnie didn't look his way, just replying "Okay, Jer." She waited for a couple of seconds before leaving her spot near the window, circling around the large house until she reached the front staircase. She didn't really know what her plan was, but she just needed a distraction. Little did she know, her wish was about to be answered. Her brown eyes scoped out the stairs, instantly focusing on the well dressed young man who leaned against the rails while staring off into the distance. Kol. Her heart began pounding, but a feeling in her gut warned her not to make her presence known yet. Instead, she ransacked her thoughts for a possible explanation to his presence at this party. He could've been invited, but he was new to town. The second option—the one that sparked a cold, bare sense of dread within her—naturally would be that he was a member of the family. Thousand centuries old and an overbearing older brother he wants to escape? Bonnie shuddered, feeling overwhelmed by the horror that invaded her entire being. Not Kol.

Fixing her posture and fighting the visible signs of distress, she commented casually, "I haven't heard from you for an entire week and you end up here at a party for an incredibly old, powerful family of Original vampires. What are the odds?" She tilted her head sideways, watching him with doe eyes and a sweet smile despite the searing pain of betrayal that tore up her soul.

She watched as a flurry of different emotions crossed the vampire's face—ranging from shock to distress—until he settled on an emotionless poker face that he adopted along with the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips. It sparked a fresh wave of fury within her.

"Little witch? What are you doing here?" His eyes roamed her body, observing her casual attire. "I'm guessing you weren't going to the party?" Kol refused to drop the facade of innocence, so Bonnie decided to break it for him.

"No, the only way to get me to willingly attend that party is in my coffin—lying six feet under the ground right beside by Grams." She dropped her smile, licking her teeth as her fists clenched and body prepared to fight. "What about you? Are they old friends?"

Kol, too caught off guard by Bonnie's harsh words, remained silent. He just stared at her, calculating her next move and attempting to understand her reaction.

Giving her an avenue to continue, Bonnie wasted no time continuing her verbal assault. "Let me guess? Thousand year old century vampire...your brother—I believe he goes by Klaus—wants to defy the laws of nature and slaughter anyone who gets in his way..." She shrugged her shoulders in an over dramatic manner that looked comical and intentionally mocking. "Did I win the game?"

Kol's gaze hardened, still keeping his composure. "You're not wrong, love." His eyes trailed down to her lips before meeting her angry stare.

Bonnie shook her head, her throat closing up and a scream threatening to escape. For now, she fought it off; instead, channeling her anger into her words. "Great! Just great. Did you plan the entire thing? Klaus made you do it, right?" She laughed softly until the laughter dissolved into dry sobs. She ran a hand through her hair, yanking the tuft trapped in her grip so harshly that her head began to ache. Against her better judgment, she turned around to hide her momentary break in sanity, which was in full effect when she began to roughly scratch her arm, desperate for a physical proof of her broken inside.

Kol watched, partially paralyzed by the pain he felt watching her suffer as she slowly started to hate him for what he turned out to be, but he eventually sprung into action when he noticed Bonnie walking further and further away from him.

He took advantage of his speed, catching up with her swift steps and stopping right in front of her, completely throwing her off by his sudden proximity. He saw her arm, instinctually reaching out to grab it, but Bonnie avoided his touch.

"Don't. Don't you dare touch me." She raised her hand, an unsettling threat behind the action. "I'll fry your brain. Tell your brother that he's messing with the wrong witch. I'll fight him and all of you even if I have to risk killing myself to do it. I'm not afraid of death." She gritted her teeth, "I don't care anymore." Tears trickled down her face.

Kol withdrew his hand, suddenly scared for the first time in centuries, by the sight of Bonnie crumbling. "Little witch," he could've flinched at how pathetic he sounded as he begged, but when she began to violently shake her head, refusing his pleas, he decided to forgo his pride for her. "Bonnie. Love," he raised his voice firmly as he placated her. "I'm not part of any plan. I swear under the oath of my life. You want to know how to kill me, Bonnie?" He didn't wait for her to respond, "it's a stake made of white oak. Right to the heart. I give you permission to use it on me. I will find one and give it to you for safekeeping just to prove it to you. I wouldn't hurt you. Okay, my love? I promise."

Whether his affectionately, intimate spin on his nickname for her was intentional or not, it still succeeded in erasing Bonnie's rage and replacing it with bare despair. A sob escaped her throat followed by a whimper. "This can't be happening. Not you. Not you," she screamed in frustration, taking a large step back from him until she hit a tree and could no longer move. When he began to move closer, she panicked and rushed to defend herself by uttering a spell under her breath that sent him to his knees in agony.

As soon as Kol dropped to the ground in pain, Bonnie regretted her harsh response and immediately stopped the spell, waiting for him to recover. When he did, she was not in the least bit surprised by his dangerously angry expression.

The witch and vampire locked gazes, neither one looking away in fear of losing this imaginary battle occurring between them.

Kol sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes narrowed. "After everything, you really believe I would hurt you?"

Bonnie gulped heavily, fear in her eyes. "Why didn't you say anything? You never told me that you were an Original..." Bonnie shut her mouth when her words failed and could only roughly bite her lip to stop its quivering.

"I didn't want to say anything about that to protect you! You never told me your last name or even mentioned Klaus specifically by name."

Bonnie released a shaky breath as her mouth twisted into a bitter smile. "I told you that a psycho was tormenting my friend; I didn't need to give you specific information." She ran her fingers through her hair, violently tugging it. "Couldn't you see that I wanted to escape all of that? I just wanted leave it behind and just—talk to a friend." She released her painful grip, sliding her hands over her mouth to cover the cries that she could sense coming.

"Bonnie," he took a step forward but Bonnie jerked back, so he just stayed in place. He shook his head at her, placing his hands in his pockets. "I find it wonderfully ironic that you are afraid of me, despite the fact that we spent so much time alone together—you even invited me into your house—and I didn't lay a finger on you." He lifted his hand, pointing directly at her as his anger intensified, "Yet you are currently acting like I'm a threat when you are here doing another favor for your friends—a favor that can get you killed. You're not supposed to be here, Bonnie." His eyes darkened and voice rose steadily. "I had a reason for not wanting you to be here. I could've invited you, but I didn't. If your 'so called' friends cared then they would have told you to stay far away from here." He threw up his hands, "I guess they don't."

His words hit Bonnie like a knife, and with each new one, he turned it. She bit her lip harder, drawing blood. "Thank you. You are the second person who has reminded me that no one cares about me." She stopped her foot on the ground, causing a surge of wind to blow the leaves that remained on the ground and swirl around them. "I..." She huffed, throwing him a scathing look. "I can't believe I trusted you." A sob escaped her throat, but she covered her mouth with her sleeve, turning away to create as much distance possible from him.

Kol growled, running after her with his vampire sped and grabbing her by the waist until she was pressed against his chest. She squealed, fighting against him but he grabbed her neck, forcing her to make eye contact.

She gritted her teeth, revealing blood stained teeth. "If you don't let me go, you'll regret it." She uttered the threat quietly but her voice didn't waver.

Kol clenched his jaw, staring at her in frustration before growling. "Bonnie, I don't understand why I have to be the enemy." His face contorted into pain. "Don't you see? I don't just befriend people. I don't just care. I'm a killer." She flinched at his confession, but he didn't stop his rant. "I own that, okay? But, I have never met someone like you." He stroked her bottom lip, making sure to be gentle with her cut. "I can be this close to you as you bleed and still resist killing you, because you mean something to me." His eyes searched her own, silently pleading with her to believe him.

Bonnie shuddered under his attention, unintentionally gripping his coat jacket tighter.

Kol pressed his forehead against hers. "Am I crazy, little witch? You don't feel the same? We're no longer friends? Say the word, Bonnie. I won't bother you."

Bonnie shut her eyes, trying to calm her erratic breathing. "Kol, I have an obligation to take down your brother. I know you can't be okay with that."

Kol dropped his gaze to her lips, leaning forward to press a kiss near the corner of her lip, which to his intense relief, Bonnie allowed. "Right now, I just want you to get out of here and be safe." He pulled away, tilting her chin up. "Please? I think you have enough information to know your friends are safe at this moment. My mother doesn't intend to harm them. Nor you. My family won't touch you, understand? That's a vow."

Bonnie opened her mouth, but quickly closed it. "Are you going to tell them about what my friends know? Does your family know about Klaus' plans for Elena?"

Kol shook his head, leaning forward until he was dangerously close to her lips. "You have my word, little witch." He brushed his nose against hers affectionately before abruptly releasing her and stepping back. "Okay?" He waited until she gave him a sign of understanding.

"Bonnie?"

She spun around, seeing Jeremy rush toward her wielding a sharp stick in his hand. "What's going on?" He looked at Kol, lip curling in disgust. "Get away from her."

Kol glanced at the stick, chuckling at the boy's attempt to defend himself. "Is he being serious?" The comment spurred Jeremy's aggression, forcing Bonnie to hold her arm in front of Kol as she reassured Jeremy.

"Jeremy, I'm fine. Let's just get out if here. We did our job for the night." She sounded so brokenly exhausted, visibly slouching over as the physical toll of her anger and magic affected her. "He's an Original who agreed to let us go unharmed. Don't mess with that." She gave him a stern look before stepping away from Kol, taking Jeremy's arm and dragging him away from a very livid Kol. She made sure to look back one more time, meeting his eyes and nodding once to show him that she understood and accepted his fears for her safety. Her heart skipped when she saw the relief on his face as he watched her go.

00000

Bonnie and Jeremy returned to their original stakeout spot, and at the first chance of privacy, Jeremy grabbed Bonnie's arm, forcing her to turn around. "What the hell was that, Bonnie?! You know him?!"

She tugged her arm free. "What is your problem? I just saved us back there! He bought my story and let us go. You should be thanking me." The lie slipped so gracefully from her lips that Jeremy bought it.

"It seemed like you knew each other." His voice lost its intensity, but his eyes emitted distrust.

"So what if I did? Look at who Elena hangs out with." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, suddenly 100% over the conversation. "Okay, well I'm not going to hang around here anymore. I'm tired and Elena is safe."

"What about the plan? Damon was clear about how long you should stay here."

Bonnie could not believe Jeremy of all people listened to Damon now. "Please," she laughed. "The party is fine. Everyone is safe. I'm tired. Work is done. I only came to look after Caroline, but she is okay in there." She peeked through the window, catching a glimpse of Caroline dancing with Klaus—a goofy smile on Klaus' face while Caroline looked surprised but still held onto him like she didn't want to let go. Bonnie turned away, not being able to watch her best friend cozy up to the "bad guy" that had been torturing them. She snapped the rubber band hidden underneath her watch once, letting a red mark taint her skin. "I'm going," she muttered. She wrapped her arms around herself and stepped away from the window. She passed Jeremy without a glance. "See ya," she added as an afterthought before leaving the bustling energy of the party for the quiet, despondent silence of the woods.

0000000000

"What are you doing here?" She walked along the leaves scattered across her front yard and the soft sound of crunching, crisp leaves filled the otherwise quiet night. She paused just below the steps of her front porch, tucking her hands into her favorite pair of distressed jeans and waited for an answer from the vampire.

"Waiting for you, darling." His lips quirked into a small smile as he spoke, his gaze attentive.

Her heart spiked painfully, alerting her to be weary of Kol's presence. After a long night, conspiring with her friends and staking out the ball, Bonnie felt on edge. Just knowing that the entire Original family occupied the same party was enough to drive her blood pressure up—powers or not. "I thought you said everything was okay...you wouldn't tell your family about my friends."

Kol rested his elbows against his knees with out breaking eye contact with her. "I abide by my word, little witch." Disappointment infiltrated his voice. He thought she would trust him by now, but he fears that his devotion to their relationship isn't reciprocated.

Bonnie took a step forward, her guard began to fade away, and her distress over the entire situation surfaced. "Can you blame me, Kol? You're an Original—your brother is Klaus."

Kol winced before retorting. "Don't remind me, love." He bowed his head now, his entire body hunched over like he was defeated. It broke her heart.

"Why did you come over? You don't want to spend time with your family?"

Kol's shoulders tensed at the idea of him enjoying family time. "No." He lifted his head, resting his chin in his hands. "That house is the last place I'd like to be."

She frowned, now taking quick steps toward him. Once she reached her porch bench, she sat down and gingerly placed her hand against his shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat when he grabbed it, encasing her hand between both of his. "I'd rather see my little witch, anyway." His eyes scanned their interlocked hands.

She released a ragged breathe, feeling exhausted suddenly. Her fear around him and defensive barrier slowly started to disappear, leaving behind solely her fondness and genuine care for him. She just relaxed into these thoughts, allowing her body to lean against him completely and rest her head on his shoulder. Kol's grip on her hand tightened.

"I don't mind spending time with my Original Dracula either."

Kol growled. "Bonnie..."

"You still call me little witch." She retorted playfully, gently slapping his arm in mock annoyance.

Kol smiled, genuinely this time, before lowering his gaze to her. "I'll tell you what," he placed his hand underneath her chin so that she could more easily look into his eyes. "If you can honestly tell me that you dislike the name then it's gone." He stroked her chin affectionately before releasing his grip. He turned forward, staring into the night, until he felt a soft pressure against his shoulder and a tight grip around his arm.

Bonnie didn't utter a word, just leaning against him with no reservations or hesitation. Just simple trust. Kol smiled, lowering his head to lay a long kiss against her hair.

That was the answer he needed.

"I'm sorry that I doubted you," she whispered. "I will admit that it probably won't be the last time, but I want to give you a chance to prove me wrong." She squeezed his arm, turning her head so that she pressed her forehead into his upper bicep. "Please prove me wrong," she sighed deeply.

Kol glanced down at her. "Hey," he called gently. He waited for her to look up and jerked his head to the side. "Come here." He released her arm, watching her expectantly. She released a ragged breath, but listened to his request and ended up on his lap. She slid her arm around his shoulder, refusing to break eye contact with him. "What can I do right now to give you some semblance of reassurance?"

Slightly surprised by his proposal, she reflected on it. "I guess your word will be enough for now. I'll trust you." Bonnie focused her attention on her lap, missing the look of adoration emanating from the Original's face. Eventually his hand grasped her chin tenderly, bringing it back up so that they were eye level. All Bonnie remembered, before her universe turned upside down, was the feeling of her heart pounding against her chest when she gazed into his eyes. The next moment, his lips fell upon her own in a chaste kiss that Bonnie returned unconsciously. Taking advantage of her consent, Kol deepened the kiss by running his tongue gently over her lips and encouraging them to open so that the kiss could intensify. A feeling of euphoria mixed with dizziness traveled through Bonnie's body, which she felt all the way to her toes. Whimpering against his lips, she surrendered to the sign of affection.

Kol was the first to break the kiss but he made sure to maintain his proximity to her as he murmured his term of endearment against her lips, "Little witch."

His raspy voice spurred Bonnie to press her lips against his one more time in a forceful kiss that stole her breath away. "Wow," she muttered as she pulled away.

Kol smiled at her dazed expression, his eyes scanning her swollen lips. "Wow," he mimicked with a smirk. He pulled her forward for a much gentler kiss that promised fidelity and assured each other that their feelings were shared.

Even as Kol pulled away, Bonnie kept her eyes closed, still swept away by what just happened.

"I will leave you now, little witch. You must rest." He watched as her eyes snapped open, searching his own as she panicked.

"Will you be okay? Going back there?" Her worry was endearing to him.

"I'll be fine." He traced her bottom lip with his thumb before kissing her gently one more time. "Get rest, love. Please?"

Bonnie nodded along to his request, her stomach invaded with butterflies. "Okay." She got up from his lap, waiting for him to follow before wrapping her arms around his neck. They spent a minute simply hugging one another until Bonnie stepped away, but she did grab his hand quickly before going inside. Once she shut the door, her legs gave out and she slid down until she reached the floor. She was in trouble.

 **A/N: Here it is! My vacation is over, so updates will not be as quick, but I will keep working on it until the story is finished. So, just a little note about the Jake reference—any Bonkai (or just Bonnie) fans who go through Tumblr will know there was a joke about pairing Bonnie up with Christopher Wood's new character from the new CW show** _ **Containment**_ **that Julie Plec created and ruined Kai's character on purpose for in order to keep the actor for her new show -_-. Well, people started to incessantly bother Julie Plec about it on twitter, etc. by making posts about how the new fan favorite couple from the show is Bonjake and just more trolling goodness. I know this is a Kennett fic, but I couldn't resist putting it in there lol. So brief BonJake for all the fans haha. Thank you all for your support and lovely reviews.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **TVD**_

Despite the stress associated with the chaotic and mentally exhausting night, Bonnie had no trouble falling asleep. With her small form burrowed under a mountain of blankets and Ms. Cuddles tucked safely by her side, she dozed through more than half the night until her momentary peace was interrupted by her cell phone. Her arm appeared from under the covers even though her head did not, and she blindly grasped for the ringing cell until it was clutched in her grip. Without opening her eyes, she swiped the touch screen and placed the phone into her ear. She didn't even have to mumble a greeting, because Caroline's screech beat her.

"Bonnie! Oh my God, Oh my God…Bonnie!" Caroline's panicked cries jolted Bonnie awake, causing her to sit fully upright and click on her night sky bedside lamp.

"What happened?" She could feel her heart sinking at the thought of what could've gone wrong at that party when she left, a million horrible thoughts racing through her mind.

"He…I can't even say it out loud," she muttered a string of curses that Bonnie heard crystal clearly.

"What?" She was now completely alert at the thought of her best friend getting hurt. "What did he do to you? It's Klaus, right? Care?!"

Caroline's heavy breathing were the only sounds Bonnie heard for a long stretch of time before the blonde broker her silence. "He…he kissed me! I didn't even realize until after like 30 seconds…he's actually a really good kisser—" Caroline paused, horrified by the confession. "I didn't mean that. OH MY GOD."

Bonnie could've laughed at her friend's current freak out, but the idea of Klaus kissing her left her feeling nauseous and cold. She was afraid that this would happen. Klaus could not be trusted. "Did you kiss him back? Does he think you have feelings for him?"

Bonnie's questions successfully freaked her out even more. "I didn't mean to! He completely blindsided me, and like I said he is a decent kisser. I froze." She stopped her rant, exhaling deeply as the reality of her situation crept on her. "He asked me out on a date. He wouldn't take no for an answer."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. Of course Klaus would demand... not request a date. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to come up with some way to fix this whole thing. Fix meaning get Caroline as far away as possible from him. However, the idea of doing that left her throat dry and her limbs aching. Her eyes instinctively fell to her bedside table where the small wildflower that Kol picked out for her on the first day they met lay on the piece of oak furniture. She couldn't bring herself to throw it away. A chill coursed through her—she wasn't any different from Caroline right now. Suddenly, the hypocrisy of her telling Caroline to stay away from Klaus hit her hard, practically forcing her to lie back down on her bed as her head began to spin. She repeated Caroline's signature phrase for the night, "Oh my God."

Assuming that Bonnie was supporting her own dilemma, Caroline nodded her head. "Exactly. What am I going to do? Obviously, this is bad. I mean first because of Tyler—even though he has been spending time with that werewolf slut Haley…" she muttered more special nicknames for the girl under her breath. "Maybe going out with Klaus will wake Tyler up and make him realize that he is being a complete douchebag for abandoning me to seek her help." Caroline perked up at the idea, oblivious to her best friend's horrified reaction on the other end of the line.

"Uh, Care? NO." Bonnie stated. "That idea has bad written all over it. Dragging Tyler into this will create so much more drama than necessary."

Caroline listened to Bonnie, allowing her friend's wise advice to sink in. She finally agreed with Bonnie's approach. "Okay, you're right." Bonnie visibly relaxed, but her relief was short lived when Caroline spoke again. "I'm just going to go on the date with him, demanding it stays private obviously."

"Caroline," Bonnie reprimanded, "You're still going to go out with him?"

Caroline huffed, annoyance clear by her exasperation. "What are my choices here, Bonnie? He's just going to be sullen about the denial and cause more trouble. Maybe I can use his soft spot for me to our advantage. Convince him to stop being crazy?"

Bonnie bit her lip, halting her protests as she processed Caroline's words. That might work. It was the least invasive, violent, and probably most realistic plan to stop Klaus…at least for a while. "That's crazy enough to possibly work." She could feel Caroline's smugness over the phone. "But," she warned, "I'm totally coming with you. You need an alibi to be there. Who knows what Klaus is capable of…well actually we already know. He is psychotic."

"But Bon…no offense," Caroline sounded incredibly apologetic before finishing her statement, "It would be super obvious if you came as a third wheel. I mean it would look crazy suspicious."

She had a point. Bonnie wracked her brain for an idea. An idea did appear, but it was an incredible risk that would just complicate everything even more. Still, she couldn't stop herself from blurting out her solution. "No problem. It'll be a double date. With Klaus' brother." She closed her eyes, waiting on bated breath for Caroline's scream but it never came.

"Elijah?" She sounded puzzled, like why would Bonnie want anything to do with the stiff elder brother? Bonnie snorted, quickly catching herself.

"No way," she corrected before clearing her throat. "His younger brother. You must have seen him at the party."

Caroline gasped, "Oh! Yeah, I totally remember him. He was like super hot. I have to admit he distracted me for a second."

Bonnie's heart spiked, an odd feeling of jealousy consuming her, but she brushed it off. She couldn't fault Caroline for noticing. He was hot.

"Yeah. Him." She swallowed nervously. "I'll go with him."

Caroline sighed but was open to the plan. "How are we going to get that arranged though? Since he has no idea who you are?"

Bonnie forced down the words tempted to leave her mouth, deciding to play along. "Just tell Klaus that the date is a no go unless I can come with you. Tell him to invite his brother. Sell it the best that you can—I'm single and haven't been out with anyone since my ex-boyfriend. I need the night out."

A mischievous grin graced Caroline's glossed lips. "Bonnie Bennett…now you're talking. I can see Damon's head literally exploding at the idea…I so don't want to deal with him. I can imagine the rant now."

"Since when do you care about what Damon thinks anyway? He's an idiot."

Caroline couldn't resist the short burst of laughter that escaped in response to Bonnie's jab against Damon. After all, insulting him was one of her own favorite past times. "You're right Bon..." Her laughter faded away, leaving her solemnly quiet as she spoke her next words. "Am I doing the right thing?

Bonnie remained silent, not being able to answer Caroline's musings due to her own serious dilemma regarding her own feelings for Kol. She wondered if telling Caroline would be the right thing to do. "Care?" Bonnie's voice quivered as anxiety settled into the pit of her stomach.

"What is it?" Caroline couldn't help but frown at her friend's sudden nervous tone.

Bonnie opened her mouth to reply. _'I think I like Klaus' brother'_ , but the words felt like molasses on her tongue, stuck and the heaviness preventing her from vocalizing the words. "Give it a shot. I'll be right behind you. This could work."

So, the plan was official.

00000000000

Bright and early on Monday morning, Bonnie rushed to pull herself together and return to normalcy even for just a bit, but as soon as she stepped through the door and the heels of her cognac riding boots made contact with the wooden planks of the porch, her mind seemed to jolt out of its wonderland and finally face the odd reality. Despite the harsh reminder, she couldn't help but feel comforted when she made contact with the now familiar dark eyes that held a mixture of mischief and warmth. "Kol," she took a tentative step forward and fought the urge to hug him. For some reason, his appearance on an otherwise normal day excited her, but she still acknowledged how dangerous the feelings were. Anything could happen and the inevitable end to whatever she was feeling for him couldn't be anywhere near simple. Regardless, her hesitance faded away, replaced by a smile that offered only gratitude and genuine happiness to see him.

"Hey little witch," he murmured as his arm slid around her waist.

Bonnie closed her eyes, feeling lightheaded by the contact. "Hey," she whispered back. Her body reacted subconsciously, leaning against him. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I have been hearing Rebekah grumble at an ungodly hour every weekday morning, and being incredibly curious myself, I had to see if the event of getting ready for a day of school was that daunting and difficult." He smirked, his eyes slowly tracing every part of her as he murmured. "Seeing as you look so immaculate, I can arrive at the conclusion that Rebekah is just a drama queen." He smiled when Bonnie laughed; the bubbly sound encouraging him to initiate even more contact between them by grabbing a hold of her chin.

Bonnie blushed under his attentive gaze and leaned forward with a sigh. "I appreciate the compliment, but me and immaculate do not belong in the same sent—" The pressure of Kol's lips upon hers prevented her from finishing the self deprecating comment—a move completely intentional on Kol's part as he applied even more force into the kiss, effectively causing Bonnie to lose her train of thought and melt into the moment of affection.

He pulled away abruptly to quickly mumble a playful warning against her lips. "Don't even finish that sentence." He kissed her again. He winked at her before pulling away and lacing his fingers through hers. "Need a ride?"

Bonnie still flustered from the kiss, took a moment to process his words. "You're offering to bring me to school?" She shifted her gaze to his car—a flashy incredibly expensive Italian sports car. "In a Ferrari?!" Her jaw dropped as her eyes roved every inch of the car. "You wouldn't be able to leave the parking lot with all of the students swarmed around this thing." She positioned her head to get a better look at him, her blush growing when she noticed his smile.

"Most girls would love a ride in this car, but you aren't most girls." He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, creating a steady rhythmic motion that soothed Bonnie's nerves.

She closed her eyes, sighing deeply. "Yeah, that's usually the general reaction I get." She tried to speak in a lighthearted tone, but her voice held a gritty edge that even surprised her. Apparently, Elena's comments about her lack of luck in the relationship department still aggravated her worst insecurities about herself.

Kol instantly detected her sadness and quickly grasped her cheek, prodding her to meet his eyes. "It's a good thing," he whispered as he placed a lingering kiss against her forehead.

His comment and sweet gesture practically melted her heart into a sappy puddle, and she felt dizzy due to the overwhelmingly familiar sensation of being smitten with someone. She hadn't felt this way since Jake, and now of all the people she could find, it had to be one of Klaus' siblings who also happened to be a vampire. Now there was no way out for her. At least, no easy way out. As she pulled herself together, she rested her palm against his chest for support and expressed her gratitude with one simple word, "Thank you." Afraid to make eye contact, Bonnie stared at the collar of his shirt, while still maintaining the closeness between them. It's like she couldn't completely accept how strong her feelings were becoming but still couldn't help but give in. It made the whole 'Caroline make Klaus vulnerable plan by playing into his feelings for her' seem like a really bad idea for a whole other reason that Bonnie couldn't acknowledge out loud. Suddenly, the urge to tell Kol about the plan propelled her to blurt out, "I need to tell you something." She winced once the words left her lips but quickly recovered. "Your brother asked my friend out, and she's going."

To her surprise, Kol was grinning. "I heard already. Klaus has been practically floating around the house. I've never seen him being such a sap. If I wasn't one myself, I would say it was pathetic." He pulled her closer to him and rested his head against hers, while Bonnie rested hers against his chest. They stood there in silence until Kol spoke, "Klaus informed me that I had to attend the date…something about how she would only be comfortable if you were there and he had to set you up with someone he knew."

Bonnie bit her lip, "I didn't want her to go alone. It was the best plan I could think of."

Kol laughed, "It's a little too perfect, but I won't complain. I feigned shock at the request, but of course I couldn't turn down the opportunity to spend quality time with the beautiful town witch." He ran his fingers over her hair, grabbing a small piece between his fingers. "I'm assuming we won't know one another on this date?"

She closed her eyes briefly, trying to summon the courage to look him in the eye. This whole situation made her feel uncomfortable, because it felt too much like a betrayal due to her lack of honesty about the real reason Caroline was going out with Klaus. "No," she responded. "It's for the best that no one knows, right?" She moved her head away from its resting spot upon his chest, finally looking him in the eye and shivering the moment their eyes met.

Kol nodded after a moment, never looking away from her. "Probably. But, I don't really care."

"Kol," she pleaded, "Nothing good can come from anyone knowing about us. The fact that we've known each other for weeks while this mess is going on…" Her words hitched in her throat when he grabbed her face and kissed her firmly and roughly.

"Don't care," he murmured. He rubbed her cheek before leaning forward to kiss her again, this time much more gently.

Bonnie whimpered against the kiss, forcing herself to pull away. "But you have to. I don't want anything to ruin this. Not yet." She stared up at him, her desperate urge to protect this relationship from getting ruined by her screwed up reality, making her ridden with anxiety. "Please. Just play along."

He stared at her for the longest time, his lips twisted into a slight frown. He tugged her head up, responding to her request with a simple kiss. "Only for you," he muttered under his breath. He reached behind her to open the door, moving his head to gesture behind her. "You don't want to be late, love." He managed to smile weakly.

Bonnie released a haggard breath, surrendering finally when she entered the car. She stared out the window the entire ride to school, and didn't realize that the car stopped until she felt Kol's lips pressed against her neck. Before she could respond to the sharp shiver shooting down her spine at the intimate gesture, his voice filled the silence. "What's on your mind?" He asked this gently, spurring her to finally look at him.

"I don't want you to think that I don't feel the same way about you…I really do." The words she wanted to say frightened her, inspiring her to switch the subject fast. "I better go." She unbuckled her seatbelt and bent down to grab her bag. Once she adjusted the straps on her shoulder, she turned her body towards him, and before she could lose the nerve, she initiated a kiss that literally stole her breath away. She took her time pulling away, gasping for breath. "I'll miss you," the words left her lips before she had a chance to stop them. Heat flooded her body and a deep blush tinged her cheeks. She fumbled for the car door handle, eventually opening it after an awkward struggle, and made a move to get out as quickly as possible, but she was pulled back in until her lips were crushed against his again. This time Kol broke the kiss, but wouldn't let her go until he reciprocated the words. "I'll miss you too, little witch. But, I'll see you tomorrow night. We have to chaperone, right?" He grinned at her, lightly kissing the tip of her nose before finally releasing his grip and leaning back.

She resisted the urge to look at him again, knowing that he was giving her an intense look that made her stomach flutter, so she focused on finally opening the door. After closing it gently, she waved at him and made her way to the front door of the school. Much to her surprise, both Elena and Caroline stood in front of her locker, but as Bonnie approached her friends, she immediately sensed the tension between them. She remained a little further away to listen.

"Are you insane, Care?" Elena shook her head, disapproval and disappointment in her eyes. "Why are you playing around with this idea of getting close to Klaus in order to make sure he won't kill me? You really think you could manage to tame the beast?"

Bonnie focused on Caroline, recognizing her friend's stiff posture as an impending sign of a Caroline freak out. "Why is my plan worse than you and your boyfriends' oh so brilliant plan of just killing him and the rest of his family?" Bonnie could've sworn her heart stopped after Caroline revealed Elena and Salvatore brother's plan, but she remained rooted in her spot and strained to hear every detail. Caroline continued, "They're Originals," she spat. "How stupid are you all?"

Elena clenched her teeth, now openly glaring at the blonde. "First of all, I have one boyfriend—Stefan." Caroline's snort of laughter only fueled her anger. "And second of all, it is a better plan than yours. I mean really, Care—do you think Klaus really has genuine feelings for you?" Now it was Elena turn to laugh, but it was mean spirited and clearly mocking. "Who is really the stupid one?"

Caroline felt temporarily stupefid by Elena's harshness, but her quick defense skills kicked in before Elena could sense how much her comment could bother her. "You're not the only girl on the planet, Elena. Get over the fact that there is one guy who is not interested in worshipping the ground you walk on. Jealously doesn't suit you." She tilted her head, peering at her friend with critical eyes. "You don't want to get wrinkles. Damon wants to keep you young and forever perfect, right? So, you can be his reject Katherine?"

Seeing the murderous glint in Elena's eyes forced Bonnie to finally intervene in the conversation, "What's up?" She tried to look as innocent as possible, but somehow Elena knew.

"I'm guessing you know about Caroline's plan?"

Bonnie crossed her arms, "I do. Just give it a chance. It would be the cleanest way to get Klaus off our backs."

Elena gawked at Bonnie, refusing to believe that her most rational friend actually agreed with it all. "You have to be kidding! This is wrong on so many levels, Bon. He is trying to kill me. Doesn't that mean anything to either of you?"

Both Caroline and Bonnie threw Elena a hostile look for her ridiculous accusation. Bonnie had to be the one to speak first. "Please tell me that you're joking. We've all been risking our lives to protect you. Don't forget what I did at the Decade dance."

Elena's face softened for a moment as she tried to backtrack. "I know, Bonnie. And I appreciate that more than you know, but I cannot pretend to like this new strategy. We were all about destroying Klaus. It's more crucial than ever, especially with his family involved. We have to get rid of all of them. If you two want to be against us, then that's your problem." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, giving them both a dirty look before stomping away.

Bonnie, speechless due to the plummeting sensation of her heart, couldn't form a single word. _We have to get rid of all of them._ The words echoed in her head, repeatedly like a broken record with jagged edges piercing Bonnie's skin. All she could think about was Kol.

Oblivious to Bonnie's internal panic attack, Caroline groaned in frustration before ranting. "She has some nerve— _Miss Queen I Know Everything_." She growled, barely glancing at Bonnie. "The plan is so on. I need to prove Elena and her lap dogs wrong." She grabbed Bonnie's arm, squeezing it in half hearted comforting gesture. "I'll see you later. We're going out tomorrow night, so I'll call you to go over the plan." She let go of Bonnie, trailing backwards down the hall until she disappeared in the crowd.

Bonnie still stood frozen in place, her body's intense visceral responses to the fear of her friends actually plotting out the deaths of the Originals paralyzing her into stillness. She barely noticed the tall boy who approached her with a worried expression all over his face. "Bon? You okay?" The familiar voice snapped Bonnie out of her trance, but it only worsened her symptoms of her overbearing dread and caused her to visibly flinch back before looking at him.

"Fine," she frowned. He looked so handsome, and despite all of the time apart, she still felt the familiar flutter in her stomach when he looked at her. "How are you, Jake? It's been awhile." She didn't wait for his respone; instead whipping around to work on unlocking her locker. After stuffing her Calculus textbook in her bag, she peered around the side of her locker, still finding Jake staring at her. "What?" She slammed her locker shut before meeting his eyes.

"Why are you so angry at me all of a sudden? I thought we were okay." He shrugged a shoulder, not being able to hide the disappointment he felt with her distance.

Bonnie flipped a curl over her shoulder and tapped her right heel against the linoleum floor, the sound accompanying her frustration. "I'm not angry, Jake. I have a lot on my mind and frankly," her eyes trailed over his face cautiously, "I don't get why you're so worried. We don't even talk that much. You've moved on."

Bonnie couldn't resist sneaking a peek at the petite redhead that had been glaring in her direction ever since Jake approached her. She just as quickly averted her line of focus, unable to look at the girl who replaced her. Losing her friendship with him hurt the worst, and it was hard to see him so happy with the girl he dated two seconds after they broke up. Still, she prevailed in the art of faking it, placing a convincing smile on her face everyday to just get through the day. This situation wasn't any different. Shaking her head, she flashed him a quick smile and dropped any trace of animosity towards him. "This is silly. Why are we having this conversation?" She giggled, pushing past him. "It was great catching up with you." She nodded in his direction, "But I have to get to class. Honestly, we're fine. Okay? Don't lose sleep over it."

She waved her hand as if physically brushing away any remnants of tension, not noticing when her sleeve dropped and revealed her bandaged wrist. The marks underneath had only gotten worse, but no one would know that. Whether she noticed it or not, Bonnie maintained her composure and didn't falter in her quick strides down the hallway. To everyone in the hallway, she was her typical cheerful self, completely collected and chill at all times, but when she turned a corner and entered a remote area of the building, her facade faded when her lip began to quiver and eyes shut tightly. The bandage suddenly weighed a ton.

 **A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry about the wait. I hope you all like the chapter. Thank you all so much for supporting the story with your kind reviews, favorites, and follows. I'm happy to keep writing a story that you all enjoy. I'll update as soon as I am able!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Still don't own** _ **The Elena Diaries**_ **…um I mean** _ **TVD**_ **. -_-**

At 5:00pm, Bonnie's chill session on her couch with a bowl of ice cream was interrupted by the shrill screams of Caroline, who couldn't help but be a nervous wreck before the date, thus completely ending Bonnie's moment of calm before the storm. With a long, drawn out sigh, Bonnie lifted herself up from her couch and shuffled across the floor to open her front door, which Caroline stormed through while holding a ton of shopping bags.

She took one look at Bonnie's sweatpants and bathrobe before scolding Bonnie. "Bon! What are you doing? We're going out tonight and have to get ready. Let's make this convincing." Caroline waved the shopping bags, marching around Bonnie's living room in a nervous pace.

Bonnie, just stood still and calm as she side eyed her best friend. "Care, you need to relax. We're going out at 7:00. Two hours from now!" She rolled her eyes before turning her back on Caroline to enter her family room, retrieve her empty bowl, and place it into the sink. As she went through this routine, Caroline followed and nagged her.

"Two hours is cutting it close, my friend. We need to prepare!" Caroline grabbed Bonnie's arm, forcing her away from the sink and leading her toward the stairs.

"Caroline…why?" She whined but allowed Caroline to drag her up the stairs. Once they reached her room, Caroline dumped both bags onto Bonnie's bed, releasing the various dresses, shoes, and makeup inside them.

"Help me pick!" Caroline began to rummage through the pile, selecting a cream colored dress with tiny jewels embroidered around the neck line and a body hugging skirt that barely reached her mid thigh.

Bonnie shook her head, ready to talk sense into her. "Remember that this is a date with Klaus for the purpose of convincing him to leave us alone. Don't you think dressing up would give him the impression that you actually like him?"

Caroline flipped a strand of honey blonde hair over her shoulder, "Please, Bon. I know exactly what I'm doing. He does need to think it's real." She shrugged off Bonnie's concern and focused on her other dresses. "What were you planning to wear?" She asked the question with an air of warning, immediately expecting Bonnie to disappoint her with her clothing choice. She did.

"I was going to wear a long tank top, leggings, and a long sweater. Get a pair of knee high boots and I'm good to go. No fashion crisis."

Caroline gagged, making Bonnie huff in annoyance. "What is wrong with that?"

"Please don't make me answer that question," Caroline replied as she sorted through her makeup.

Bonnie sighed but didn't say anything more; she needed to get through this night with as little stress as possible and having Caroline disapprove of an outfit was not the way to make that happen. In defeat, she opened her closet and searched for the dress that popped into her mind. She bought it a couple of months ago for a dance, but they ended up missing it due to some supernatural disaster. She finally found it, her eyes immediately focusing on the pop of the bright bold colors of the crop top and skirt. Inspecting the fit of the top and the modest skirt that just reached just above her knees, Bonnie decided that this will do. "Caroline," she called as she snatched the hanger displaying the dress, "I found one." When she turned, Caroline's bright smile greeted her.

"That's more like it!" She squealed.

00000

An hour and half later, both Bonnie and Caroline were standing in front of her mirror, assessing their outfits. Caroline decided to go with the cream dress, light pink pumps, and her hair down in loose curls. As for Bonnie, she wore the two piece dress with nude strapped heels and her hair coiled into tight curls that gave the illusion of a short bob. Despite Caroline's protests, she threw on a light beige petticoat over her dress in order to retain some sense of modesty. After all, it would just be suspicious if she looked like she put serious effort into making sure she looked good for him. Besides, Bonnie never dressed for guys, and she wouldn't start now even if she did really like Kol. The chime of her doorbell stopped her internal conflict as she and Caroline shared one more glance at one another before taking a deep breath and linking arms. They greeted Klaus and Kol in the same position, which was a good idea since the sight of the Originals dressed in their best almost made their legs weak enough to no longer support them.

Bonnie's eyes immediately sought Kol's, and upon meeting them, couldn't help but inhale sharply. She ended up stalling her breathing on purpose to prevent her strong reaction to seeing him become obscenely obvious. Though, it wouldn't matter anyway, because neither Klaus nor Caroline were paying any attention to them. Not resisting the curiosity, Bonnie turned her head slightly to watch their silent but intense reaction with a sudden feeling of unease settle into her stomach. Caroline did not look like she was faking.

Kol didn't divert his gaze from Bonnie as he noticed her visible distress over Caroline and Klaus' seemingly mutual attraction for one another, and he couldn't help but feel empathetic towards her startled reaction to seeing her best friend wander too closely to the edge of being drawn to Klaus despite everything that he has done, especially indirectly to Bonnie. He grew restless of watching Klaus and Caroline make googly eyes at each other, but even more so due to the fact that his girl wasn't looking at him. He missed her for the last 24 hours.

He held out his hand, his expression void of any emotion as he addressed her. "So you must be Bonnie Bennett. Pleasure darling." He had to fight the smirk that threatened to appear when her head snapped forward to look into his eyes quickly before falling to his hand.

Not wanting to give her anxiety away, she took his hand with no hesitation but with a similar guarded expression. "And you must be Kol Mikaelson. Can't say the same," she uttered the retort quickly, feeling panicked as soon as the words left her mouth. She was just supposed to pretend that she didn't know him, but now she was approaching mean territory. Her worry was futile once she heard his amused chuckle.

Kol now allowed himself to smirk as he let go of her hand and turn his attention to Klaus. "You didn't say she was a feisty one, brother." He returned his attention to her, now allowing his gaze to travel down her body, and as he took his time to look at her dress, she felt increasingly burnt by his gaze. She forced herself to snap out of her temporary entrancement with her unofficial boyfriend and fix him with a withering glare.

"And did Klaus inform you that I'm a witch who could totally fry your ass?" She tilted her head, hiding her amused smile at Kol's shocked reaction to her threat.

He quickly recovered the only way he knew how—by a smart ass comment. "I know we are supposed to be chaperoning the love birds over here, but would you marry me?"

Bonnie's mouth practically flew open at the proposition that Kol obviously meant as a joke, but their history did not allow her to brush it off. In fact, she felt pretty offended by the fact that he would even use it in such a mocking, idle purpose that was meant to respond to her own harsh treatment of him. In order to stop herself from saying anything that she will regret, she gritted her teeth and fell into silence.

Caroline already began to panic at how this planned seemed to be unraveling already. "Okay!" She blurted out in forced enthusiasm. Let's go!" She grabbed Klaus' arm, which he took as an invitation to wrap his arm around her waist in a vice grip. Caroline quickly turned to mouth 'help' at Bonnie before turning back around. The plea snapped her out of her mood, since it reminded her that Caroline was doing this for a greater purpose. Without glancing at Kol, Bonnie descended the porch steps and walked briskly to the car. Before she could open the door herself, Kol appeared out of nowhere to open it before her.

"Ladies first," he stated with charm. If he was upset by Bonnie's sudden mood swing, he didn't show it. As she prepared to get into the car, she halted when his arm slid around her waist, pulling her close enough so that he could whisper into her ear.

"Stop being so convincing," he chided jokingly, but bent down to stroke his nose into her hair. Bonnie visibly relaxed when she heard him murmur her name as he doted her with the subtle gesture of affection. She finally managed to break away and climb into the car. Luckily for them, Klaus was so enamored by the fact Caroline accepted his request for a date that he refused to take his eyes off of her, which Caroline could only react with mild discomfort, but neither of them noticed Kol and Bonnie.

Kol sensed this and took advantage of it as soon as he was seated when he reached out to grab Bonnie's hand. He didn't look at her; he just held onto her hand in a loving gesture that Bonnie didn't reject. Her thoughts still lingered on the guilt she felt at snapping at him like that. He had never been anything but sweet and loyal to her despite what family he belonged to, and Bonnie didn't want to him to feel like she resented him for a second. Turning to look at him, she squeezed his hand, hoping for him to take the hint and look at her. Once he did, she wasted no time in mouthing an apology. His eyes softened, but he shook his head. At first Bonnie believed he was mad at her, but he soon soothed her worries as he began to caress her scarred wrist.

Klaus broke the silence, "Let's get going. Shall we, love?" He grinned at Caroline's blush before revving the engine and pulling out of the driveway. Neither blonde noticed Kol and Bonnie's interlocked hands.

0000

After a fairly awkward dinner where Klaus fawned over Caroline the entire time, Klaus decided he wanted to spend some alone time with her, so he drove past the Mystic Falls town line and parked on the side of the road. He requested Caroline to accompany him on a stroll through the field of wildflowers that bordered the highway, leaving Bonnie and Kol in the car alone. Despite the opportunity for private time, Bonnie remained on the far right side of the car. She didn't look away from the window, purposefully avoiding Kol's gaze. The sound of the leather seats shifting alerted her to Kol's sudden closeness, prompting a chill to spike down her spine and leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. When she felt his breaths near her neck, her eyes closed briefly to savor the moment before pushing him away. She finally met his eyes, ready to scold him for breaking character so soon into the night. She raised her eyebrows and lifted her finger to her lips before gesturing to the front of the car where beyond the window Caroline and Klaus stood in the field. Her silent warning only encouraged him to rebel her caution and move even closer to her. He raised his own eyebrows, shaking his head as a small smirk appeared on his face. He slipped his arm across her lap until he gripped her leg, pulling her close to him for a quick but intense kiss. Bonnie forced herself to stifle the squeal that almost escaped her lips when Kol's tongue brushed up against her own, deepening the kiss to a point where her head felt light. Kol smiled at the effect he could have on her, and despite slowing the kiss down, he kept his hand on her upper thigh. "I couldn't resist, love." He glanced down at Bonnie's heaving chest, admiring her decision to wear a two piece dress. Bonnie immediately knew what he was thinking, and quickly hit his arm.

"Don't be a perv," she tried to sound angry but it ended up sounding joyfully affectionate. "If they see us…" She was cut off my Kol's lips on hers, once again stealing her breath away. Their kisses quickly slowed down until the kiss ended with one final peck. Then, Kol completely separated himself from her and winked before turning his attention to Klaus and Caroline, but Bonnie couldn't follow his lead. She continued to stare at him with glowing adoration. This plan seemed like a bad idea suddenly…

0000

Beyond the car, Klaus and Caroline stood in companionable silence. It didn't take long for Klaus to slither an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. Caroline exhaled shakily as warmth spread throughout her body. Even though it was Klaus, he was gorgeous and she had eyes. She couldn't resist falling for his charm, and at this point of the night, she felt drunk with his doting attention. Still, the plan had to follow through.

Shutting her eyes when she felt Klaus stroke her stomach, she turned her face into his neck and breathed in his scent. "Klaus?" Her eyes remained closed even when she felt his lips brush her cheek. He hummed in acknowledgement, but pulled her closer. Caroline took this as a sign to continue. "Will you do something for me?" She asked the question with fragile hesitance.

Her tone captured Klaus' interest, and stood up from the car to face her directly. "Name it," he offered.

Slightly surprised by his willingness to accept her unspoken request, she sighed heavily in preparation for a possible fallout. "Will you leave my friends alone? Stop looking for a way to create hybrids?"

Klaus moved away from her, a perplexed look on his face. "You're still concerned with those useless friends of yours?"

She took offense to his arrogant tone and didn't hold back her disapproval. "Useless? Klaus…" She paused when Klaus let go of her waist and stepped back. Just looking into his eyes was enough to warn her to tread cautiously.

"Caroline, when I requested alone time with you, I did not expect a favor in return. I'm starting to receive the inclination that's what you are here for." He crossed his arms over his chest, staring Caroline down with distrust.

"Is it that horrible?" She couldn't believe how fast it took for him to be offended. "I just want them to be safe. Elena doesn't deserve this pain."

Her comment caused Klaus to roll his eyes. "If you begin to lecture me on how precious the doppleganger's life is then I will have no choice but to believe the Salvatore brothers compelled you to be as brainwashed by her presence as they are. It's pathetic."

Caroline had a lot of pride, and she didn't take kindly to someone degrading her with the accusation of being pathetic. "That's not why I'm doing this. Plus, you're one to talk. I thought you were supposed to be the big bad Klaus? Why are you so desperate to get me to like you?"

Klaus' nostrils flared as he watched her silently. His eyes no longer held any kindness—just dark rage that frightened Caroline.

Inside the car, Bonnie felt uneasy. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she opened the car door to step out, and Kol followed suit. The slam of the car door alerted Klaus to their presence, which caused him to growl menacingly. Bonnie almost stumbled back by the animosity, but she quickly recovered when she noticed Caroline trembling.

Kol didn't like his older brother's reaction, his protective streak flaring as soon as he detected the blind rage in Klaus' eyes. "Klaus," he warned.

Despite his wrath, Klaus managed to smile at his brother's appearance, and the sudden mood change unsettled everyone. "Oh brother! Good, You'll be happy to here that this entire date was a set up. It turns out Caroline's loyalty to Elena remains steadfast." He directed his attention to Bonnie who stared defiantly back. "I'm sure this was all the witch's idea."

"It wasn't," Caroline interjected. "It was my idea. Bonnie is here to support me and…"

"Protect you from me, right?" Klaus finished her sentence with resentment in his tone. "I don't know why I wasted my time. You were just a distraction."

Caroline flinched at his harsh words, but quickly recovered. "You don't get it Klaus. If you continue to pursue your plan then my friends will find a way to end you and your family. I'm doing you a favor. Give me your word to stop and leave Mystic Falls with your family."

Bonnie's mouth completely dropped as she listened to Caroline's warning. To her horror, the words made her guilty by association in Kol's eyes, and the consequences of him believing even for a second that she was part of a plan to kill him would cause irreparable damage to the relationship.

Klaus scoffed at Caroline's attempt to convince him the intentions of her and her friend's were genuine and innocent. "You must understand something, my dear. The actions of your group are nothing better than my own. It's hypocrisy in its fullest form. How is it any better for you all to want to kill me?"

Bonnie decided to intercede, after no longer being able to stand by and listen to Klaus, of all people, chastise them. "Because you began this entire thing by threatening the life of our friend! You killed her aunt," Bonnie had to stop for a moment as the rush of devastation over Jenna's murder hit her all over again. She resumed in a trembling voice, "You killed Tyler's mother in cold blood." She threw up her arms in the air. "Don't you get it? You will always lose the argument due to the sheer number of lives you took." She couldn't help but glance at Kol, knowing this must have been hurting him, but it doesn't make it any less true.

To her surprise, Kol decided to respond to her comment in lieu of Klaus. "What about you and your friends, little witch?" The term of endearment currently held no affection from the Original—just contempt. "Have you and your vampire friends killed?"

One part of Bonnie understood Kol's willingness to side with his brother on the issue, but the other part of her that entrusted her faith in him by confessing some of her most deep seated, painful thoughts bristled with anger. "If you're talking about the Salvatore's then I have to confess that I have no control over their killing streaks. Elena was the one to get involved not me." She looked at Caroline, "We've suffered loss as a result of her connection to them." Caroline bowed her head to hide the tears that now fell freely down her face.

Kol's anger abated slightly at her answer, but he still couldn't drop the fact that Bonnie possibly knew about the plan to annihilate his family. "But my love," Bonnie looked directly into his eyes as if he called her directly by name. "You do ally yourself with them?"

Bonnie released a strained breath, "Why are you even asking me this Kol? You know they are my friends. I didn't know who you really were until the night of the ball. Just enough time to make me care about you..." She looked upwards as tears leaked from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks.

Their conversation stunned Caroline and Klaus who now watched the exchange with horrified fascination.

Despite realizing that they confessed their big secret, Bonnie focused all of her energy on him, not at all surprised that his eyes have turned into the same ominous color as Klaus. "Kol, it's not what it sounds like. I would never…not you." She bit her lip and rested her hand against her chest when she lost all of her capability to breath.

Kol nodded, bowing his head in defeat as the anger surged within him. "So you never heard any of your friends discussing ways to kill my family?"

"I heard the idea in passing, but I didn't even stop to consider it. In fact, it freaked me out. You know I don't want anything to happen to you. _You know that_."

Kol clenched his jaw, breaking eye contact with Bonnie before speaking again. "But your loyalties still lie with them." His answer frustrated her and provided the final nail in the coffin of her patience.

"You know what," she exclaimed. "I'm done with this entire situation. Nothing I do or say will convince you otherwise, and nothing Caroline says will satisfy you either Klaus." She covered her face with one hand as her calm façade crumbled in front of everyone. At this point, she didn't care. "We are on opposing sides, but guess what?" She now directed her attention on Caroline before imploring her best friend to finally listen to her final plea for help. "I'm not playing the game anymore. I'm slowly dying, Care." Tears clouded her vision, but she still stumbled her away to Caroline. "Don't you see it, Care? You're my closest friend." She openly cried, beseeching the shocked Caroline. "Don't you see it? Please tell me that my suffering is not going completely unnoticed when it's slowly suffocating me." Deep, despairing sobs escaped her throat, catapulting Bonnie into a full fledged breakdown. "I can't do this. For a thousand reasons." She ran her fingers through her hair, crying harder.

Caroline reached out to her friend, her own crying intensifying. "Bonnie. Breathe. Please…oh my God." She wrapped her arms around her devastated friend, clutching onto her for dear life. "It's okay."

Bonnie shook her head, protesting her friend's attempt to provide comfort. Pulling herself away from Caroline's embrace, she stepped back. "No, it's not. Nothing I do will ever fix anything. I'm stuck being wrong no matter what I do. I'll betray people despite never intending to be involved in this mess in the first place." The spell she used to make Klaus believe she was dead crossed her mind in that moment. The suicide spell. She began to chant the Latin spell under her breath, trying to remember the entire thing. As she did so, she walked backwards with her eyes glued to the ground and kept chanting the spell in hopes of piecing the spell together. The cries of Caroline fell on deaf ears as she fell into a trance. Suddenly, she forgot where she was and who she was with—the only thing on her mind was the spell that could stop her pain for good.

"Bonnie," Kol growled her name as he rushed over to her, not hesitating to grab both sides of her face and pulling it up roughly to look into her eyes. "Stop," he commanded. "Bonnie," he screamed when she didn't slow the pace of the spell. Her eyes held no recognition for him; instead, she fell deeper into despair as the spell became more jumbled in her mind.

When she showed no signs of stopping, Kol resorted to panic mode and consequently stopped her self imposed harm with only way that he knew would work in these dire circumstances. He released one hand from her cheek to hold her waist and stabilize her body against him. Before he lowered his mouth to her neck, he tried to plead with her own more time. "Love, please." Bonnie was too far gone to answer him, as she was lost in her cationic state, weakly continuing to mumble the spell until she lost all consciousness when Kol's fangs pierced her neck.

Caroline unleashed a blood curling scream once she realized what Kol was doing, but Klaus stopped her effort to rush over and stop him by grabbing her arm in a vice grip. "Easy, love. He knows what he is doing."

Caroline was ready to curse Klaus out, but the sudden silence of her friend's cries captured her attention. Kol now cradled Bonnie's limp body in his arms as he kept his lips pressed against her clammy forehead. His apparent care for her best friend stupefied her. When his sad eyes met hers, she listened to his command. "Let's get her home. Now."

 **A/N: I hope this chapter was worth the wait! I know it's super angsty and depressing, but I feel like my heart always broke when I watched how Bonnie was treated on the show, and I always imagine her completely losing her mind at some point in the show's run. She suffers too much for trying to do the right thing, so it seems inevitable that this would culminate into a state of despair and desperation for her. With Kol involved, this gets further complicated, but she will proceed to react in the only way she can right now. BTW I saw some scenes from the current season's latest episode, and the acting of Ian and Kat is impeccable. Bonnie's character is the only one that is written in a realistic and honorable way. Despite what the show tries to do, I think Kat Graham got the best deal out of everyone to be able to portray such an awesome female character on television. So, that's my opinion lol The next chapter is coming up soon! Thanks for the support everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **TVD**_

After two days of being in psychiatric hold at the hospital, complete with doctor evaluations, medication consulting, and therapy, Bonnie finally saw the two welcome and familiar faces of her best friends when visiting hours for her were finally open. Caroline and Elena stood on either side of her hospital bed, gazing intensely at her with looks of both worry and immense relief. Elena reached out first, grabbing Bonnie's hand and squeezing her fingers. Bonnie managed to a small squeeze in return, which caused Elena's composure to break and tears to stream down her face.

"Bon," she croaked through the tears, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea that you've been struggling." She gasped for air during her cries. "Please forgive me," she pleaded.

Tears trickled down Bonnie's face as she finally witnessed one of the repercussions of her self harm that she had been dreading the most—the reactions of her friends and family.

"It's okay," she soothed weakly, "Don't cry. I can't take anymore crying, especially from my best friends. I already hurt all of the time; I just can't take much of it anymore." She sank deeper into her pillow, her eyes fluttering closed as Elena sobbed into her hand.

Caroline intercepted into the conversation after resting her palm against Bonnie's forehead. "We're here, Bon. You are going to get through this, okay? We love you." The blonde bit her lip, halting any tears from falling as she watched Bonnie grimace.

"I'm sorry," Bonnie whispered.

Caroline frowned, "You have nothing to be sorry for. This supernatural mess is going to end. You won't have to do anything more. No more sacrificing or putting yourself in danger."

Bonnie felt a laugh bubbling in her throat, but it came out as a barely audible wisp of air. "That's impossible, Care."

Elena's phone buzzed, signaling a text message. She quickly glanced at it and gently released Bonnie's hand. "Bon, I'll be back in a sec. It's Matt. He had a shift at the Grille he couldn't get out of, but he wanted an update on you as soon as possible."

Coughing lightly, Bonnie quietly responded. "Tell him that I say hi and that I'm…" she trailed off, unable to finish the thought. Elena frowned, her lips quivering as the urge to cry overwhelmed her again. "I will. Be right back."

As Elena stepped out of the room, Caroline grabbed a plastic chair and settled in it before placing her hand on top of Bonnie's in a futile effort to comfort her best friend. She watched her for a moment, sadly noting the exhaustion on her face.

"He brought you to the house. Stayed with you until I called 911. He insisted on you going to the hospital." Caroline rubbed Bonnie's shoulder comfortingly when she noticed the painful grimace on her face.

Bonnie sighed heavily, her mouth twisting downwards as she thought about the argument with Kol. "You must think I'm crazy for being involved with him."

"Of course, I don't. It's clear by his reaction that you two are close."

Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, Bonnie quietly confessed. "We became friends; someone that I trust. He's been keeping me company, and ironically, sane for the past few weeks. I guess it's cosmic punishment that he had to be part of the Original family."

"Punishment?" Caroline sounded genuinely confused. "But, he obviously cares."

Bonnie shook her head and looked Caroline directly in the eye. "What does it matter? He's Klaus' brother. The same guy who wants to use our best friend to become an even more powerful, tyrannical psycho than he is right now. It's my job to stop him—how could it ever work? It's impossible." Bonnie reverted her eyes to the bleak, whitewashed wall of the hospital room.

Unsure of how to comfort Bonnie in this complicated situation, Caroline just sighed and rubbed Bonnie's hand. "It'll work out, Bon. It has to. Eventually, we'll all deserve a break."

Bonnie suppressed the urge to give Caroline an incredulous look, instead nodding along absently. "Right," she murmured faintly.

Before any type of metaphorical break happens, Bonnie is certain that a storm still needs to wreak havoc and irreparable damage in their lives.

00000000

After two more days at the hospital, Bonnie was released on the condition that outpatient treatment set up by her doctors would become a part of her routine. After one of her bi-weekly therapy appointments, she resisted the urge to drive straight home. Bonnie didn't know what happened to her, but whatever the mysterious force was, it possessed incredible power since it lead her directly at the front door of the Original family. Before she could second guess herself, she pounded her fist against the door and stepped back to await whichever family member opened first. To her surprise, Elijah, who stood perplexed by her presence, opened the door.

"Bonnie?" He questioned with a tilt of his head.

"Is Kol here?" She demanded, needing to get to the point before her courage evaporated.

Elijah stepped back immediately, outstretching his arm in welcome. "Please come in."

Bonnie stepped into the house and waited until Elijah closed the door. He began to walk toward the elaborate marble steps that decorated both sides of the main foyer. "Follow me," he offered. Bonnie did so until they stood outside an oak door. Before Elijah could touch the handle, the door swung open and a girl with long blonde hair and a dazed look in her blue eyes stepped out and processed down the stairs like a zombie.

Recognizing the signs of compulsion as anger coursed through her, Bonnie charged forward, ready to barricade through the door before being stopped by Elijah. "Wait one moment, Bonnie." His voice remained cordial as he gave her a reassuring look before entering the room.

"Brother, what was that girl doing here?" Elijah kept calm, while baiting his younger brother.

Kol didn't care about holding back. "I became tired of blood bags and needed the real thing. Sue me." Save for the small hint of arrogance lacing his tone, Kol's voice held close to no emotion.

Bonnie's temper rose as she listened to the exchange. The smug indifference harbored inside Kol's tone caused doubt to creep into her heart about how much she actually knew him. Unable to hold back any longer, Bonnie waved her hand and sent the other door crashing against the wall, practically sending it off its hinges, before storming into the elaborately decorated lounge.

"That's wonderful," she ranted. "While I was in the hospital for two days under psychiatric hold, you were sucking the neck of some innocent girl." She had to pause in order to regain her breath, giving Kol enough time to spring out of his chair and barrel towards her.

"Love," he began to plead his case, but Bonnie stopped him.

"No. I'm not interested in hearing an excuse. I just came here to let you know that my plan didn't work and I'm still here. It's unfortunate. But, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." She glared at him before turning away, but Kol's loud command stopped her from making one more move.

"Don't," he stated with a threatening edge, "Ever say that again. Do you hear me?" He took a step forward, trying to intimidate her.

However, it wasn't working; she just turned back to face him with a cold disposition, already forming a mental barricade in her mind against him. Standing her own ground by looking directly into his eyes, Bonnie retorted. "Or what? Are you really threatening me, right now?" She broke out into a fit of laughter that caused Elijah to frown in concern. "Go ahead," she challenged. "In fact, you would be doing me a favor by killing me." Bonnie shivered when Kol's eyes darkened. Before she could blink, Kol sped towards her, only to be stopped by Elijah grabbing his arms. Her knees buckled as she walked backwards until her body hit the opposing wall and slid down. Her body trembled violently at the thought of Kol really doing it, but she was suddenly caught off guard when she heard a sob escape Kol's lips.

"Do you see what's she is doing to me, Elijah? The pretty witch wants to take away the last shred of humanity I have left," he spat the words out in disgust.

Her mouth dropped open, shock infiltrating her system at what he was implying. "You're serious right now? I'm sorry Kol if my humanity is hurting you, but it's not about you!"

Kol snarled, "Not about me? What have we been doing for the past few weeks? Knitting sweaters? No—we were confiding with one another, you were looking at me with genuine kindness in your eyes and no visible sign of fear. You called me your friend."

Tears poured from her eyes and her heart ached. She felt paralyzed by the whole confrontation, so she just remained in her place and watched Kol.

"I can't stand by and watch you hurt yourself. I've never felt this way before Bonnie. It's driving me mad." He glances behind him, "Ask my brother here. I don't do well when feeling out of control."

Bonnie's lip twitched as tears continued to streak down her face. "Are you saying that my personal health issues are going to cause your plunge into the dark side? Stop making excuses for yourself. If you want to head down that path then you will, regardless of me."

Kol's jaw tensed. "Are you really being that dense, little witch? Consider my feelings in this entire situation. You want me to understand your point of view?" He tilted his inquisitively, "One condition—we talk. A real conversation about this and hold nothing back."

Bonnie began to cough, her eyes searching his face wildly. "What else is left to talk about?"

Kol rolled his eyes impatiently, further adding to her fury, but he ignored the hostile look she directed at him and clarified. "Plenty, little witch. I need to talk to you. The real story right now. And in return, I want you to talk to me." His anger abated by this point, leaving him defeated. "Then, I'll let you go."

His words sparked more tears, and her quivering voice responded. "Kol. I don't want..." She trailed off unwilling to finish the thought. Instead, she looked him in the eye and lowered her voice to a whisper, "Okay."

Kol sighed, exhaustion taking over. "I've been desiccating in a coffin for hundreds of years, and before then, I had lived several decades reveling in my despair of being this immortal monster by succumbing to my nature and even finding pleasure in it." The confession sent a cool shiver to trickle down Bonnie's spine, but she remained motionless as she listened diligently. "I am no decent being, Bonnie. I kill. I thirst for blood, and I have enjoyed causing chaos all around me. That's why Klaus staked me first." He confessed this detail with a sense of pride despite seeing the unease appear on Bonnie's face. "However, when Niklaus decided to remove the stake from my chest and suddenly I was met with the hope of reuniting our family again, I needed to accept a distorted reality where my mother suddenly doesn't want each of us dead." He paused for a moment as his eyes glazed over with the sudden onslaught of bad memories, "So I had no choice but to pick up where I left off until one day after my family nagged me for causing destruction again," he pointedly glared at Elijah who just rolled his eyes at his younger brother's insolence, "I met this young witch who looked at me with kindness and spoke to me like I wasn't a centuries old degenerate monster who cheated the laws of the natural world. It almost felt like I was just nineteen again, and I was simply talking to a pretty girl. I felt no urge to hurt you the moment I met you, and as a predator, that's pretty telling." His eyes roamed her face, trying to will her brown eyes to meet his pleading ones. "But the same object of my affection and cause for self restraint tried to kill herself right before my very eyes. So, forgive me love for losing my mind and engaging in a killing spree over the last few days." He watched her chest heave for air as if the tension in the room slowly suffocated her. "I thought I lost my heart for good. Can you really be angry with me?"

Bonnie opened her mouth, but no sound came out. His honesty rendered her speechless and she didn't know where to begin. Before she could vocalize one of her jumbled thoughts, she noticed Kol stiffen and settle his gaze onto Elijah.

"How long were mother and Finn going to be out?"

Elijah's jaw tensed, "She didn't offer specific time frame." He glanced at Bonnie wearily. "You should get her out of here."

Kol immediately shook his head, disagreeing fervently with Elijah's suggestion. "I cannot let her out of my sight yet." He focused his attention on her, stepping forward and offering his hand. "Come Bonnie. Let's go somewhere more private."

Despite feeling uneasy about Kol's sudden anxiety, Bonnie placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up. "Why should I be this worried about meeting your mother?"

Kol stared at her, "I just don't want you on her radar. Trust me?" He waited patiently for her to affirm it.

Sighing, she conceded. "Yes." Allowing him to wrap an arm around her waist, she latched onto him when the room became a blur and within a split second they stood in a different room.

The tension between them felt electrified as soon as Kol closed the door. They knew a difficult conversation would be coming up and neither knew where to start.

"Make yourself comfortable," Kol mumbled as he stepped into his room. Running his fingers through his messy brown hair, he released a small frustrated sigh. He's never felt so upset in his life. The only event that came close was the death of his younger brother. Trying to push away any additional thoughts, Kol turned around to face a visibly distressed Bonnie whose eyes remained on the floor.

Bonnie felt his arms wrap around her waist and before she knew it, her head was resting against his chest. She felt his lips brush against her temple and his soft voice cradling her ears. "Can I ask you something?" He felt Bonnie nod her head, and he tightened his grip around her waist. "I thought I'd actually lost you," he swallowed the thick lump forming in his throat. "Can I have a quick kiss to help regain my sanity?"

Bonnie's heart jumped at his vulnerable request, and without hesitation, she stood on the tips of her converse clad toes and pushed her lips against his. What was supposed to be a quick kiss turned into a full out make out session, which quickly grew more heated when Kol placed both hands around Bonnie's thighs before hoisting her up and pressing his body against her. He clutched her thighs tighter when he heard his name leave her lips. He slowly broke this kiss, watching her chest rise and fall. "Don't ever do that to me again?" The plea sounded broken like a little boy's.

Bonnie could only manage to nod before Kol put her down. He grabbed her hand and led her to his bed. Once they settled beside each other, Kol spoke. "The last memory I have of feeling pain at the loss of someone was my little brother. It happened centuries ago and left me with a burning sensation of agony that crippled me. When I was turned into a vampire that emotion heightened, so I could no longer take that kind of pain. I chose to turn my humanity off. It was off when Klaus staked me." Kol sighed, bringing his hand up to clutch the long chain that dangled from his neck. "But two days ago, I witnessed you try to kill yourself."

Hearing Kol say it out loud lodged a deep feeling of unease in her stomach. She scooted down so that she could lie on her back with her head turned away from Kol and her hand covering her eyes.

Kol watched, spotting one lone tear fall down her cheek. "I felt the pain again, Bonnie." He rubbed a hand over his face, roughly sniffing away any tears that he felt. "I'm afraid of what I'd do if anything happened to you. I would have nothing left to lose anyway. I have no ties to this town aside from you, little witch." His eyes landed on her again, noticing the rapid rise and fall of her chest. He leaned forward, propping himself on his elbow to get a better look at her. "That means that this town will burn if you die. And all of your friends with it."

The underlying promise of violence incited Bonnie's distress, and she searched for something to ease the pain. She settled on pulling her hair. Before exclaiming, "What's the matter with you?" She felt her arm being tugged away and Kol's hand underneath her chin.

"I'm in love with you, but I'm not the guy you thought I was—kind, unlike my siblings—I'm just as savage as they can be. However when we care about someone, the loyalty never goes away." He stroked her chin. "I see how your friends have caused you pain. You're stressed out, alone, and always considered an afterthought. You think you can convince me that your fragile mental health had nothing to do with being the only witch in the vicinity that can do the doppleganger and Salvatore's bidding?" He leaned in, nudging his nose against Bonnie's cheek. "Don't waste your time, darling. Okay?"

Bonnie was torn as she listened to Kol. On the one hand, her surged with happiness at his willingness to defend her and see her healthy, but on the other hand, his confession to easily surrendering to the killer inside of him and massacring her friends frightened her. "Don't you realize that threatening to kill my friends and other innocent people will just upset me more? How do I even respond to that?" She finally turned her head sideways so that she could meet his eyes. "How do I accept the fact that I love you when you are capable of that?"

Kol just gazed into her eyes, keeping an appropriate distance from her. "I can't answer that for you, Bonnie." He gently brushed his knuckles along her jaw line. "I've talked this whole time…why don't you tell me what's on your mind? I want to hear it." His pleading expression urged her to give in and confess her own hazy thoughts.

"I've been home for the past two days. Caroline stops by to check in. So does Matt and Elena." She deliberately looked at the floor when her voice softened, "Except you." She averted her gaze as a blush flushed her cheeks.

Kol surveyed her closely, still frowning deeply. "I thought it best to stay away for a bit." He murmured the words apologetically as he waited for her to lift her head so that he could see her eyes. She never did.

"Or for good," she whispered. After sighing, she tried to feign agreement. "You were right. It's for the best. Things are too messy." She began to wring her hands nervously as they trembled. Unable to face him, she mumbled, "I better go back home. I'm so tired." The confession spurred Kol moved forward until he practically had Bonnie trapped against he bed. Her head snaped up, widening as she recognized a look of desperation on his face."What?" Her voice shook.

Kol leaned both of his hands against either side of her body as his eyes traced every inch of her face. His own mouth trembled with the warning of agony, but he managed to suppress it so he may attempt to comfort her. "Did Caroline feed you some of her blood?" He glanced at the only remaining sign of his fangs—a faint scar of the punctured wounds. "I didn't intend to hurt you...I just needed you to stop." He winced when his voice cracked, which to him was a betrayal to his ability to maintain his composure this long. However, he realized that his pride no longer mattered to him. "I'm sorry, Bonnie. For losing my temper that night and ganging up on you. It wasn't fair." His nose grazed the top of her head and he bent down to press his lips into her hair. "What you need to deal with isn't fair."

Bonnie released a labored breath that she had been withholding, almost feeling a semblance of relief to hear Kol's support when she thought it was lost. "I'm sorry about what you deal with. I know you aren't directly involved with Klaus' plan. You were woken up from your desiccation not that long ago." She rested her palms against his chest.

Kol kissed her hair once more before leaning away. "How did you know?"

"When we were learning more about Klaus, Katherine Pierce told us everything."

Rolling his eyes at the mention of Katherine, Kol complained. "Of course, she did. She's annoying."

His frustration with Katherine brought a weak but genuine smile on her face. "The feeling is mutual." They both fell into a peaceful silence until Bonnie felt driven to finally face what she came here to do. Tilting her chin up so she could look into his eyes, she spoke softly. "You know I would never let them hurt you, right?"

Kol couldn't fight the genuine smile as he nodded. "I know, Bonnie." He exhaled deeply before grabbing one side of her face, gently stroking her cheeks with his thumbs as he gazed lovingly into the eyes of the human girl who surprisingly captured his heart. "You have no need to worry about me. I'm the centuries old vampire, remember?" He smirked, gently pinching the tip of her chin playfully in an effort to get her to smile, but Bonnie remained somber.

"You can be killed though." She grabbed onto his wrist. "I've been thinking...I found a spell." This definitely captured Kol's interest.

"You don't say," he piped up curiously.

"To protect you," she offered.

Kol's gaze remained steady as he brushed his lips against her nose and left a series of butterfly kisses on it. "There's no need for you to worry about protecting me, okay? You need to rest." He gently kissed her lips and sat up to grab the large throw blanket folded on the edge of the bed. He adjusted it over Bonnie first before settling himself underneath it; he draped an arm around her stomach and leaned forward until his breath tickled her neck. "Sleep." He nudged her neck with his nose before placing his lips on the spot where he bit her, pressing small gentle kisses in its place.

Several hours later, Bonnie woke up and turned her head towards the antique clock that rested atop Kol's dresser and read 8:00 pm. She nestled herself under the blanket as her mind drifted to her conversation with Kol and she cuddled closer to him. Releasing a content sigh when she felt him nuzzling against her hair, she turned on her back and met his sleepy expression.

"Did you sleep, love?" Kol before adjusted his body so that he hovered above her.

Bonnie sighed, "I did." She yawned before continuing, "I still feel exhausted though. A fumbled whimper escaped her lips when she felt his lips capture hers in a devouring kiss that he broke off a moment later despite her protests. "Keep sleeping then, love." He moved from underneath the covers and tucked her in beneath them. Kol had just finished settling her in again when a knock interrupted him. Kol groaned in frustration before dropping one more kiss against her temple and walking over to the door.

"What?" He barked.

Klaus' smooth voice could be heard beyond the door. "Oh little brother. I thought we had plans to plot what we're going to do today."

"I'm busy at the moment."

He heard Klaus scoff. "There will be plenty of time for you to make goo-goo eyes at your precious witch later. It's urgent."

Kol rolled his eyes, "Are you daft? I'm not leaving her alone while mother roams the house with an obvious agenda."

"Kol, nothing will happen to the Bennett witch. You'll be right here. There are important matters that need to be discussed and they have a deadline."

Kol's eyes settled on Bonnie before grudgingly agreeing with his brother. "Fine," he muttered. He walked back over to her, placing a series of butterfly kisses all over her face before leaving a lingering kiss on her lips.

"Love you," she mumbled faintly as the kiss ended, soon falling back asleep.

Kol stared at her for a moment before replying. "I love you more." He watched for another minute, his jaw tensing with each rise and fall of her chest as her breath evened out, and eventually he forced himself to leave her side and meet with Klaus.

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoy this update!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: No ownership of** _ **TVD**_

Bonnie woke up from her long nap one hour later bleary eyed, disoriented, and anxious. She clutched the warm blanket cocooning her in the bundle of warmth as her eyes desperately scanned the room for clues as to where she was. Soon, her memory came back and she allowed herself to slightly relax for a moment before panicking again. "Kol?" She whispered into the darkness, waiting for a response but giving up when receiving none. Instead, she rose from the bed, adjusting her oversized sweater over her small frame, and opened the door, which allowed a flood of light to enter the room.

"Miss Bennett. You're awake."

The foreign voice baffled her, but only until she laid eyes on the figure. The Original Witch, Esther, peered at Bonnie and seemed to scrutinize every detail of her face before addressing her. "So this is the newest generation of the Bennett witch line."

Bonnie stepped out into the hallway, facing Esther with a neutral expression. "I'm Bonnie Bennett, yes." She stated this proudly, making Esther smile.

"It's always nice to see another witch fond of the honor which is bestowed unto us. Nice to meet you—I apologize it's not under different circumstances. I hear my son has created quite the amount of trouble for you and your friends."

"Trouble is an understatement, but yeah. He's definitely the bane of our existence at the moment."

Her comment sparked a slow smile to creep onto Esther's face. "So it seems. What if I told you Bonnie that I know a way to make it stop?"

Without missing a beat, Bonnie replied. "I would say how can I help?"

Esther grinned. "Wonderful. I have a spell in mind that will finally undo the damage that I have done the moment I forced my children into vampirism—you can end this horrible cycle now, Bonnie."

Now Bonnie felt hesitant all of a sudden, "I thought we were just talking about Klaus."

"Unfortunately, Niklaus is connected to all of my other children. That's the way I intended for the spell, so now I must undo the bond in order to right my wrong."

An uncomfortable sensation consumed Bonnie…Esther wanted kill her children for good. She leaned against the wall, suddenly dizzy and feeling sick to her stomach. The only name that ran through her mind was Kol. Now what could she do? "Esther, I apologize." She ran her hand through her curls," But, I feel so drained from practicing my magic. I might need to take off now." She tried to look Esther in the eye while speaking, but her nerves kept forcing her eyes to remain trained on the floor.

If Esther noticed then she did not mention anything; she simply nodded her head. "Of course. You are still growing into your powers. You must pace yourself."

 _Pace myself? In this town where there is a new supernatural disaster every week? Not likely._ Bonnie smiled at Esther in spite of feeling how ridiculous her statement was. "Right. Totally." Nodding her head once at the eldest Mikaelson, Bonnie turned around and racked her brain for Kol's possible location.

"He's in the study. Down the hall." Bonnie turned half way back again to look at Esther; she felt slightly shocked Esther would even give her the information. "Thanks," she replied before following Esther's directions and pushing a large oak door open.

All eyes focused on her once she stepped into the room, but the only set she sought were Kol's. Seeing him alive lessened the tension in her body, allowing her to relax slightly for the first time since conversing with Esther. Kol took one look at her standing beside his mother before rushing out of his chair and over to Bonnie. Wrapping both arms around her waist, Kol studied her face before asking her. "You okay?"

She remained quiet, staring into his eyes and wishing she could only tell him everything she knew, but she understood the dangers of doing that in front of Esther. Still, she felt incredibly desperate and torn over the mess of a situation she found herself in. Nodding her head and placing one hand over his chest as a reassuring gesture, she responded. "I think I should head home and crash. I'm still exhausted."

Kol gazed at her with concern. "Do you need me to take you there?"

His sweet offer made her smile softly. "No, I have my car. But thank you. You're an awesome boyfriend," she added with bright smile, amused by Kol's shocked but flattered reaction to the comment. He looked so cute with his stunned expression.

"I'm going to need that in writing, love." He smirked, tugging her closer and encasing his arm around her shoulders as if he was shielding her from his family. "I'll walk you outside."

Bonnie made eye contact with Esther, causing her gaze to fall to the floor. She heard Klaus' smooth voice next.

"Be sure to tell your little friends to stop finding ways to kill me. It's quite insulting given that you and my brother are so chummy." Bonnie looked up, glaring at his smirking face.

"Maybe if you stop threatening my best friend." The comment wiped the smirk off Klaus' face, anger taking its place.

"You'll do well to remember who I am witch. Just because you may have caught the fancy of my oh so fickle and reckless brother does not mean you're immune. If anything, I think you just jumped feet first into the fire."

Bonnie gulped. Klaus could be terrifying when he really put effort into it. She felt Kol tense next to her.

"Watch it, Nik. I don't care if you have no plans on falling through with any of the endless threats you make against her, but I don't want to hear them anymore. Clear?" Kol's jaw clenched as his nostrils flared.

"Are you threatening me?" Klaus took a step forward, his voice steadily rising across the room.

Kol burst out laughing, successfully infuriating Klaus even more. "Oh no, I wouldn't dream of threatening you, Nik. In fact, I could care less about your usual power related tantrum, but I want you to stop bothering her. She's off limits to anyone in this family." Kol purposefully looked at his mother who stood quietly watching the conversation unfold.

"Kol," Bonnie patted his chest, trying to sooth him. "It's okay. Don't fight with him, okay? I'm going home." She grabbed his hand, linking their fingers together. "Walk me to my car?" She watched him slowly calm down, suddenly forgetting about arguing with his brother in favor of caring for her.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Let's get you out of here." He led her out of the room without glancing back at his brothers or mother, and Bonnie mirrored his actions. She didn't feel like dealing with any of the Originals, except for the one she trusted. She shuffled closer to Kol as they stepped outside, and Kol responded by grabbing her waist gently so that he could lean down and kiss her soundly on the lips.

Once their lips met, Bonnie sucked in a large breath in initial surprise before allowing her eyes to flutter close and kiss him back eagerly. Kol pulled away first, gently leading her backwards until her back hit the front porch's stone enclosing, and picked her up to set her atop the wall. He leaned forward, pecking her lips quickly before questioning her. "What did my mother say to you?" He watched her intensely, and if he weren't holding her in such a protective embrace, she might have fallen off from fear.

"Nothing."

He shook his head, gritting his teeth. "That can't be true. Just tell me, Bonnie. Please."

She felt tears prick the corner of her eyes, but she raked her fingers through his hair, gently tugging his head forward so that she could initiate a kiss. "There's nothing you need to worry about. I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you. That's a promise, Kol. Okay?"

Kol watched Bonnie, astonished by her bravery and unwavering loyalty to him of all people who could have deserved it. He caressed her cheek, "I appreciate that, love. I do, and I promise the same to you," he sighed heavily, "But I need to know if she said anything. You will not get involved in my family's mess."

Bonnie cut him off with another kiss. "I won't get involved in anything, I promise. As long as you're safe." She wrapped her arms around his neck, desperately trying to find a way to get him to drop the subject in fear that she jeopardizes his safety anymore. Esther couldn't know that she would go behind her back and do some research of her own to ensure Kol's safety, and neither would Kol who would most likely talk her out of it due to the risks of getting involved with higher risk spells. She looked into his dark brown eyes, sighing. It'd be worth it.

Kol watched her fall in and out of a trance, obviously deep in thought. "What's going through that pretty mind of yours?"

She shrugged her shoulder. "I was just thinking about how sad I am to be going back to my empty house." She turned her head, pouting. It wasn't long before Kol's lips were against her neck.

"Want company?" He asked before laying a soft kiss on her shoulder, making Bonnie's heart flutter.

"Maybe," she grinned slyly. "I wouldn't want your family to worry about where you are."

He scoffed before pulling her off the wall. "That's cute of you." He gestured for her to follow him, "Let's go. You look like you're going to fall over; You need to rest." His deep concern for her well being made her fall in love all over again.

"Kol," she tugged on his hand and waited for him to make eye contact with her again. When he did, she didn't hesitate to confess her earlier words. "I love you."

Kol's expression softened. He raised the hand he cradled in his own and kissed each of her knuckles. "And I love you, Bonnie." He led her forward, beckoning her to follow him with a nudge of his head. "Come, my love. I won't feel at peace until I know you are sleeping soundly."

Bonnie followed his lead, sighing dreamily. "Such a gentleman. Sometimes I feel like I stumbled into Jane Austen novel with you."

Kol chuckled, "I'm guessing the boys of this generation know nothing of chivalry, eh?"

Bonnie snorted. "Chivalry? Yeah, no. Jake once left me stranded at some random party, because his friend showed up with a brand new car and he _had_ to ride in it. He actually forgot I was there and went driving past the state line with his friends. Thankfully, Care was at the party and gave me a ride home."

Furrowing his brow, Kol glanced at her. "Who is Jake?"

"Um…" she fumbled over the words. "Ex-boy…"she coughed the rest of the word.

Kol leaned forward to hear her better. "What?"

Bonnie stopped walking. "He's my ex-boyfriend."

Just as Bonnie feared, Kol suddenly lost all amusement. "Oh."

Suddenly angry at his reaction, Bonnie huffed in exasperation and kicked a nearby pebble. "I had a life before you, just like I know you had one before me." She fixed him with a pointed glare as she suggested how many girls he had probably been with before her.

Her visible annoyance amused Kol who broke out into a smirk. "Are you jealous, little witch?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes and countered, "Are _you_ jealous?"

Kol bit his lip while snaking an arm around Bonnie's waist and then pulling her against him so forcefully that Bonnie had to wrap her arms around his neck for balance. He leaned forward to nudge his forehead against hers. "Maybe just a little," he answered. "You?"

With a shrug of her shoulders, she responded the same. "Maybe just a little."

Her reply caused him to burst out laughing; the sight was so infectious that Bonnie joined him. "We're being silly. I have seen my best friends go through relationships with guys that borderline psycho over their jealousy issues." She stood on her toes to kiss his nose lightly. "That's not you."

He tightened his hold around her waist, "You really believe the best in me?" He tried to smile as he posed this question, but the expression ended up being more of a grimace. His insecurities over how easily his family writes him off as the hopeless, reckless member of the family seeps into his subconscious, tainting any self-regard that he could potentially possess. He didn't show this vulnerability often, but somehow Bonnie always became the exception like she was for a lot of things.

She raised her hand, caressing his cheek sweetly before confirming. "Yes, I do. We're comrades as you once told me before," Bonnie smiled at the memory of them hanging out behind Mystic Falls High during her lunch period.

Kol smiled at her memory, resting his hand behind her neck and pulling her forward for a lingering kiss. After they broke apart, Kol once again grabbed her hand and led her to the car. As they neared her car, Bonnie begins to mull over Esther and her friend's threats against Kol. Everyone was trying to find a way to kill the Originals, but Bonnie couldn't let anything happen to Kol.

"Kol?" she spoke up hesitantly.

"Yes, little witch?"

"I think I'll head home by myself to get some sleep. I just remembered that I have a ton of work to make up since I was at the hospital…" She mumbled the last part.

Kol gripped her chin, tilting her head forward so she would look him in the eye. "Are you okay to be alone?"

Bonnie offered him her best convincing smile, "Yeah. I'm used to it; I was teasing you before." She poked him playfully in the stomach, causing him to smile briefly.

"I hope you're not worried about being alone with me. I'd never force you to do anything you weren't comfortable with."

Bonnie blushed, mortified at the turn of this conversation. Are they officially having _the_ talk? "Of course, Kol. I'd never think you would." She kissed him on the cheek as an extra gesture of reassurance. "I promise. It's totally not…" she fumbled with the right words as her hands gestured wildly, " _That_."

Her obvious discomfort around the subject was endearing to Kol. "Love, you don't have to be nervous." He kissed her temple. "But if you say so. I'll let you go. I need you to rest, because if anything happened to you I would lose my sanity, frankly. So, drive carefully." He opened her car door.

Staring at him in adoration, she didn't know exactly how to express how much she reciprocated his feeling, so she settled on kissing him. "I love you," she stated after pulling away. She immediately turned to get into the car, settling herself in her seat, and reaching out to close the door; however, Kol grasped her hand and kneeled by her.

Kissing her hand, he quipped. "You were just going to drive away before hearing my reply? He smirked up at her as she cradled her hand in between both of his.

"Oh and what might that be?" She teased with a smile.

Kol shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "Nothing really except that I love you back." He kissed her hand one more time before standing up. "Drive safe, my love. I'll see you tomorrow."

Bonnie smiled at him sweetly, taken aback by the giddy feeling that overwhelmed her. "Okay. Good night." With a small wave, she started her car and backed out of the driveway. When she felt like she was at a safe distance, she released an excited squeal. She knew the reaction seemed semi inappropriate given the grave situation surrounding all of them, but she couldn't help but embrace teenage normally for a moment to gush about her totally hot, new boyfriend who loved her.

 **A/N: It's here! Sorry about the wait everyone. I hope you all enjoy and thank you so much to all who are reading, and especially to those of you leaving such kind, awesome reviews. They are all very appreciated! Also, as members of the Bonnie appreciation club, I just wanted to say Stay Strong! Season 8 will be her last, but no matter how badly the writers will botch her storyline, she'll always be the best character of _TVD_. Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **TVD**_

Bonnie registered a soft bell chime, but the sound seemed very far away and didn't have the power to wake her from her impromptu nap that she had no choice but to take after a very long night of researching spells in her family's grimoire. After she returned from Kol's house, she immediately immersed herself in centuries old writings that instilled hope in her about ensuring Kol's safety somehow during this confusing mess of drama.

 _Ding. Dong. Ding Dong._ The chiming sounded much closer now, and Bonnie's eyes began to flutter open and blink away the disorientation she felt from her exhaustion. Lifting her head up, she detected the silhouettes of two people on her front porch, and it didn't take long for her to figure out who they were.

The Salvatore brothers, much to her slight surprise and dismay, stood still on her porch as they waited for her to answer. Stefan, remaining somber for the most part, broke out into a soft smile upon seeing Bonnie. She allowed Stefan's presence to calm her down enough to return his smile before grudgingly turning toward Damon. To Bonnie's surprise, Damon sported no smirk or sign of amusement; instead, his lips were set into a straight line and a frown dominated his features. Bonnie could have sworn his expression changed briefly into a semblance of relief upon seeing her, but it disappeared so quickly that she couldn't really be sure.

"Hey," she greeted weakly. Sleep still held control over her. "What's going on?"

Stefan spoke first, "We wanted to check on you. Elena said that you were still recovering but mentioned how you were feeling okay enough for more visitors." Stefan stepped across the threshold, hesitating before putting his arms out and inviting her in for a hug. Bonnie smiled at him, allowing him to embrace her.

"Thanks, Stefan." She nodded her head in a grateful motion. "I'm feeling a bit better."

"Good," Damon interjected, he suddenly lost his voice when Bonnie trained her gaze on him. "We need you, witch."

Bonnie felt like he punched her in the gut. "Of course. Magic." She continued to stare at Damon who clearly didn't intend to hurt Bonnie today.

"That's not what I meant," he quickly assuaged her. He suddenly found the ground interesting. "We're going to settle this once and for all, Bonnie. Starting with cutting off the beast's legs." His metaphor intrigued her.

"What would his legs be then?" They all understood the unnamed beast to be Klaus, and if there is one thing Bonnie can agree with Damon on, it that he has to be stopped.

Damon made eye contact with her again as he responded. "His precious family. He needs to have no one. We'll take care of that."

Bonnie felt her heart stop. Suddenly, she didn't agree with Damon anymore.

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After forcing the Salvatore brothers to leave with an excuse of sudden nausea, Bonnie spent the next hours of the day tirelessly pouring over the grimoire for protection spells. The effort seemed to amount to nothing for the longest time, since all of the spells were not designed to be used on a being of the undead, in fact, the craft of magic vehemently disapproves of it. But, Bonnie couldn't just give up; she really felt obligated to save Kol in any way that she could, especially now that Damon had confirmed her fear about attacking Klaus through his siblings first. A loud tapping broke her concentration, making her quickly hide the spell book under her pillow before waving her hand towards the window and unlocking it. Kol stepped into the room, smirking as he closed the window.

"Neat parlor trick," he teased her.

Bonnie smiled at him and tucked her legs beneath her. "I'm glad you think so. I think I'm going to become a magician and have a residency in Vegas." She giggled when Kol broke out into a smile.

"I think the show would be very successful," he bent down to kiss her. Distracted by the kiss, Bonnie wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened, reciprocating the gesture of affection genuinely.

When she felt lightheaded by the lack of oxygen, she briefly pulled away and closed her eyes. Resting her head against his shoulder, she inhaled a few gulps of air while enjoying the embrace. She never noticed Kol reach under her pillow to pull out the grimoire.

Kol clenched his jaw, trying not to overreact. "Studying spells?"

The question forced the two of them apart, giving Bonnie a full view of the visible book. "Where did you find that?"

Kol rolled his eyes at her attempt at deflecting the question. "Little witch, it was semi obvious. Why did you feel the need to hide it? You wouldn't by any chance be trying to learn a dangerous spell to get your friends out of another situation that they most likely created all by themselves?"

Bonnie's mouth opened, her eyes blinking furiously as she listened to his accusation. "If I was…that's not a problem? I am strengthening my magic."

Kol exhaled through his nose, gripping the bridge of it tightly as he closed his eyes. "Strengthening your magic seems to be code for putting my life at risk for useless friends."

Bonnie's nostrils flared. "Kol, I get that you don't like my friends, but they are not useless. Caroline and Elena are my family. That means something to me." She visibly deflated, her eyes roaming Kol's figure. "I would go to the ends of the earth for the people I love. That's a promise." Her voice softened at the end of her statement, finally capturing Kol's undivided attention.

He stared at her, unsettled by the sad, lost gaze that she now directed at him. "I hope you're not planning to go the ends of the earth for me. You may be a powerful witch in the making, but I am a centuries old vampire that has plenty experience looking out for myself. I don't want you putting yourself at risk for me."

Bonnie bristled at his comment; suddenly a surge of anger consumed her. "Why not? I can handle it. I love _you_ , Kol. You now fall under that category in my life, so I will not stand by and just let—" She paused abruptly when Kol suddenly appeared in front of her, his eyes flashing with a ferocity that made her falter.

"What? Don't tell me that your lovely friends are plotting against my family and me? That's laughable."

"Laughable?" She repeated this with incredulity. "You don't think that damage can be done? Whatever. You may be arrogant enough to believe that you really are untouchable, but you and I both know that's not true. I told you that I am willing to do anything to keep you safe. I mean it. I really mean it." Her lip quivered.

Kol gripped her waist, pulling her closer to him as he pleads with her. "Bonnie, _I_ mean it. Whatever you are planning— stop it. As for the others, I have no problem cracking some skulls. It's been too long." He didn't miss the flash of disgust that crossed her face, and he couldn't resist using it as ammo. "This is who I am, Bonnie. I am a killer. You should not waste your time trying to salvage my soul. It's already lost."

His words broke her heart. "So, what does that mean for us? If your soul is lost then how can you love me?"

Kol let go of her waist as if it burned him. He didn't answer her.

His silence was strong enough to completely eradicate her composure. Tears began to fall freely down her cheeks, but she paid no mind to them.

Kol eventually filled the silence with another plea. "Don't continue searching for something that could overwhelm you. I'm trying to look out for you."

Bonnie crossed her arms, her eyes finding his. "No." Her voice didn't quiver despite the tears still cascading down her face. She remained stoic, staring Kol down as he processed her rejection.

"No?" He searched for clarity with a biting tone accompanying it. "You'll continue to risk your life?"

She responded with a mere shrug of her shoulders. The nonchalant act sparked Kol's rage. He screamed in frustration, shoving her open door closed with such force that the hinges became undone. Her eyes widened at his violent reaction, but she forced her body to remain still and watch him.

Kol tightened his hands into fists, growling under his breath. "I—" he huffed unable to finish his sentence due to the anger that controlled him. Trying again, he raised his hand, pointed at her, and spitefully retorted, "I'm angry with you, little witch." He rubbed his face, kicking the door. "I'm angry at you," he repeated under his breath, sounding defeated. He walked towards the window, opening it. He took a deep breath before turning towards her. "I'm not going to stand by and allow you to take a serious risk."

Bonnie released a cry of frustration. "Don't you get it?! I want to take the risk. That's how much I care." She stood up from her sitting position on the bed to approach him. "You don't even know any of the details. I am being careful; it's a precaution for you. Nothing is set in stone, and I won't…" she paused breathless. "You can't be angry with me. Not when I forgive you for the violent threats against my friends. I know you are frustrated with this whole situation. Believe me, things are more complicated due to our relationship. But, it's done. I fell for you. It can't be undone. Don't make me undo it, please." Her eyes fluttered closed when Kol stepped forward, grasping her waist, and pulling her into his arms.

"Don't do it, Bonnie."

Bonnie winced, her forehead resting against his chest. "I don't want anything to happen to you." She heard Kol sigh, defeat evident in his voice.

"I refuse to let anything happen to you." Though the words were sweet, his tone held no affection.

Bonnie took a chance, looking into his eyes. She could have broken down in tears at the sight of his wrathful despair. "When I told you that I love you. I meant it, Kol. Just…can we just calm down for a second? I can't take this anymore." She shut her eyes tightly, feeling the jabbing sensation of a migraine. To her relief, she felt Kol's lips against her forehead.

"I meant it too, my love." He laced his fingers through her hair, mumbling an apology into the mess of her curls.

She grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers together. "I love you," she mumbled the words sadly. Things seemed hopeless.

"I love you more," he responded. "I'll prove it."

Her eyes snapped up to meet his. "No. I'll prove it." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and place her own against his. "You have to trust me; I once did a spell that killed me for a short period of time to fool Klaus into thinking I was really gone. It worked. I'm strong."

Kol sighed. "I know that you are, but why do you have to put yourself in so much danger?" He hugged her tightly. "By the way, I am snapping Klaus' neck when I get home. I had no idea how much he goaded you towards death," he mumbled the words with a grave undertone that sounded threatening. "No one touches you."

Bonnie nudged her forehead against his. "I have something for you." Stepping away from him, she opened her end table drawer and pulled out a simple drawstring bag. She undid the tie and pulled out a long silver chain that held a small locket at its end. She held it up to him, beckoning him to take it. "I charmed it for you. Added protection. No serious magic involved." The lie fell from her lips smoothly, and Bonnie had no time to feel an ounce of guilt for it. She grabbed the locket and pried it open for Kol, then stepped away to wait for him to really look at the inside.

Kol has felt seemingly emotionless for a long time, but as soon as he glanced down to see what lay inside the locket, he couldn't fight the tears that formed in his eyes. In simple script, a name was written into small piece of scrapbook paper on one side of the locket, while the other remained blank.

 _Henrik_

Bonnie noticed Kol beginning to tremble; the sight forced her to keep talking. "I know lockets are for pictures, but I wanted to give you something that allowed you to keep him by your heart…where I know he already is. This is a reminder of your humanity, Kol. Please don't ever say that you are a lost soul. Your little brother would never believe that and neither should you." She inhaled sharply when Kol looked up from the locket, giving her a better view of his tear stricken face.

Kol gulped, clearing his throat so that an audible sound could come out. "Thank you," he muttered as he cradled the locket. Pulling it over his head, he strode towards her to grab her face and pull her in for a kiss that emoted his gratefulness for the gift. Bonnie nodded into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as she lost herself in the intense kiss flurry of butterflies in her stomach. He broke the kiss briefly to reach into his pocket.

"You reminded me of something," he whispered against her lips. He lifted her right hand that was still bandaged and placed a small bracelet that held a lone leaf charm. Once he fastened it, he lifted her wrist to his lips. "Rebekah wouldn't stop talking about the modern day tradition of giving someone special a trinket to symbolize the relationship. She kept talking about some football player." Bonnie scrunched her nose in confusion, but quickly lost her train of thought when Kol kissed her knuckles. "I figured that you are my first girlfriend in several hundred years, so we must commemorate somehow." He smiled at her as he cupped her chin. "I guess you were thinking the same."

Bonnie remained cool despite the knowledge of the strong bonded magic that tied them together. The locket was the key, and Bonnie felt relieved that she managed to not raise any suspicions. Now, she could say he was safe. She stood on her tiptoes to press her lips against his. "I guess so," she whispered.

 **A/N: This fic was the next one up in my now revolving list of stories that I am writing and updating lol I hope you all enjoy this addition!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **TVD**_ **.**

The first thing Bonnie remembered was gasping for air, lying in sweat soaked sheets, and feeling a hollow pain lodged in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes darted around the room, finding nothing but emptiness. Her only solace was the Bennett talisman hanging around her neck and the memory of her nightmare.

Once her chest stopped heaving and her heart beat settled, she could remember the events that startled her waking dream and possibly mended her heart after Kol's sudden departure.

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24 hours earlier...

Tears pierced her eyes as a searing pain in her chest woke her out of her sleep. Her phone vibrated manically on her end table, and she gathered all her strength to snatch it off the surface and turn it on. Over 20 missed called, voicemails, and texts. Frowning, she clicked on her texts, finding Stefan's first and opening it.

 _Bonnie, it's Elena. We need your help. Please._

Bonnie ripped the covers off and tapped the call button. Her phone rang once before being picked up.

"Hello?"

"Stefan, it's me. What's wrong?"

She heard him sigh, "I don't know Bonnie. Suddenly, she's very sick. Throwing up blood and screaming about visions. It has to be a result of killing an original."

She lost the grip on the phone. "No," she murmured. She grimaced in pain, touching her chest. The realization struck her like a knife wound. Kol was dead. Ignoring the frantic talking on the other end, Bonnie tossed the phone away from her and crouched down before blindly searching for her Grimoire. She tore it open to the page that she had been studying to a point of obsession over that last few days and then reached into a drawer on her opposite end table and pulled out a knife. Dragging the knife down her arm, she began the chant despite the several warnings in Latin that littered the page. Her mind was made up; she would bring him back no matter the cost.

As she concentrated on the chant, she heard frantic knocking along with the sound of Klaus' screams, which soon faded out by the growing cacophony of white noise that filled her ears…

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Her eyes flew open, meeting nothing but darkness. Her body lay prone on a chilled, hard ground and the foreign sensation sent a feeling of alarm throughout her whole body.

"Bonnie Bennett," announced a strange female voice.

Bonnie's eyes adjusted to the darkness and focused on the person. The woman, dressed in a bright blue dress that wrapped around her like a toga and a crown of black roses adorning her hair, stood over her. The sight stunned Bonnie into silence, and she remained frozen to her spot. The ethereal figure walked around her, tilting her head as she peered at Bonnie. "I'm assuming you don't know why you're here?" She reached out and laid her hand upon Bonnie's forehead, sending a sharp jolt of excruciating pain all over Bonnie.

Her scream pierced the silence, refusing to end while the pain ripped through her body as if it was tearing her apart. After the strange woman pulled away, Bonnie fell against the ground like a lifeless rag doll. She was paralyzed by the fear of feeling the pain again; the only signs of movement were the streaks of tears that fell from her eyes.

The woman stared at the teenager, overcome by a sense of sadness. The feeling was incredibly strange, since her emotions have been shut down since the greatest betrayal of her life. "Love, my descendant Bonnie, is a fool's emotion. As much as I hate to punish you, I cannot avoid it; you chose this when you risked your life for a being of an abominable nature." She kept moving, her eyes never leaving the whimpering girl. "I'm assuming you read the spell in its entirety. You knew what the cost of binding yourself to him would be. Now, you must pay the price." She crouched down, meeting Bonnie's eyes. "Your noble sacrifice for love has bound you to a burden that I've had to carry, since I was punished for falling in love." She rolled her eyes, "Of course, the object of my affection ended up being unworthy. I hope yours is worth it." She reaches for her crown, placing it atop Bonnie's head. "You are now the keeper of the veil. Every supernatural creature who dies will pass through you, the sensation will be felt in its entirety by you only." She patted Bonnie's head gently. " I, Qetsiyah, will remain here. But, you will be forever tied to this place, and one day you will have to return here and fulfill your duty. For now, I will return you. Be wise and weary of who you trust, Bonnie. Especially that band of vampires that you call friends. The doppelgänger caused this mess for you, just like her original form—Amara—caused my unhappiness. Be alert."

Bonnie listened diligently, but disbelievingly. It felt like a nightmare, one she hoped to wake up from as soon as possible. As if Qetsiyah read her mind, Bonnie's eyes drifted closed, and when she opened them, she found herself in a new environment. From one nightmare to the next...

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"Nicklaus," Elijah's stern voice reverberated in her ears. "Calm down."

The hybrid scoffed. "Calm down, brother? Our brother was killed by that doppelgänger bitch; I will not calm down. This was not supposed to happen." His eyes focused in on Bonnie. "The witch will fix it. She better."

Elijah released a bored sigh, "I think the wisest thing to do would be to refrain from threatening Miss Bennett. She cares for Kol and has no reason to be a part of her friends' plan."

Klaus rolled his eyes at his ever so level-headed brother. Neither of them noticed the gasp of breath from Bonnie.

At the same moment, a shuffling sound could be heard from the coffin, followed by a groan. Both Elijah and Klaus' eyes met, stunned by the noise coming from their brother's coffin.

On the other side of the room, Bonnie's eyes fluttered open, but the surge of pain overwhelming her senses forced her to remain still on the ground, listening to the sounds of a family reunion.

Kol gasped when his eyes opened, his gaze settling on a dark ceiling. Sitting up hurriedly, he allowed his brothers to embrace him, but the memories of what passed twenty-four hours earlier ignited his temper, causing him to grip the edges of his coffin and jump out. "When I find that Petrova knockoff, I'm going to rip out her heart and make her pathetic Salvatore boyfriends eat it," he fought against his brothers who held him back. "Let me go," he snarled.

Klaus gripped his younger brother's shoulders, "In due time we shall get our revenge, brother. But we must figure out how the hell you are still alive."

Kol stopped resisting as he listened to Klaus and felt under his shirt for the charm Bonnie gifted to him. "Where is she?" He demanded barely above a whisper.

Elijah gripped his shoulder firmly as if bracing his brother for another impact. "She is here. Klaus thought she could be of some help..."

Kol's dark eyes settled on Klaus. "You expected her to use her magic for me. Do you realize that it's a risk?"

Klaus huffed, clearly annoyed by the sappy side of his brother. "I could care less about the witch; my only concern was getting you back alive." A sickening crunch echoed throughout the basement, and Klaus held his jaw steadily as he counted to ten. "Now, I'm beginning to think it was better to leave you dead."

Ignoring Klaus' comment, Kol searched the dark room for Bonnie. He found her crumpled body in the corner, lying still. Instantly, he was hovering over her, tenderly reaching out to push a stray wisp of hair out of her face. "Little witch," he uttered as he placed his hands under her body and hoisting her up into his lap. "Bonnie," he urged louder. When she didn't move, he took a moment to observe her appearance. A sparkling crown adorned with dark red—seemingly black roses— was weaved into her hair like a headband, and her flowing dress matched the royal appearance. "What happened to you?" He stroked her cheek as he watched her worriedly. His two brothers showed up, both gazing down at the Bennet witch with curiosity.

Elijah spoke up, "Let's get out of here. We'll bring Miss Bennett back to the house."

As Kol rose, he felt Bonnie move in his arms, and he turned his head in time to meet her eyes.

Bonnie's headache lessened, providing her with enough reprieve from the pain to open her eyes and see clearly. Tears formed in her eyes when she saw him, and whether it was from relief that he lived or the dreadful price she now must pay, Bonnie cried freely as she threw her arms around him.

Kol immediately pressed his lips against her forehead, murmuring affectionate words against her skin to reassure her. She kept crying, resting her head against his chest as sobs bubbled from her chest. Taking a deep breath, she wrapped her arms around Kol's neck to prop herself up and kiss him chastely on the lips. Pushing away from him, she struggled to get out of his embrace, which Kol grudgingly allowed as he observed her palpable sorrow. The first thing she did was grab the crown from her head and drop it on the ground. She created distance between it and her, but the crown refused to allow this for long, eventually rising into the air, and following her frantic footsteps.

The Originals observed this odd phenomenon in disquieting silence; each pair of eyes followed Bonnie's movements, including her defeated resign once the crown rested in her hair once more.

"Bonnie," Kol called out, taking tentative steps towards her. "Love, what's going on?"

Biting her lip, she suppressed another sob before looking at him. "Payment," she stated. Her eyes gazing down at the long, jagged scar on her arm. "I need to go," she muttered under her breath, stroking the wound. Braving a few steps forward, she looked into Kol's eyes, silently pleading with him to understand. "You should get home and stay there until this blows over. I'll handle the Salvatores."

The pace of her breathing quickened when Kol approached her. "What's wrong? You don't seem well."

Bonnie shook her head, finding no trouble confessing the truth to Kol, "I'm not fine. I think something very bad has happened to me that I can't reverse. I need to wrap my mind around it."

Kol grabbed her cheeks, pressing his head against hers. "Come stay with me. You can have your own room; I just need to know you are close to me."

Bonnie grabbed his hands, removing them from her face and placing a soft kiss against his knuckles before dropping them. "I need to be alone, Kol. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. I can't tell you about it yet, but trust me when I say it's serious. I want you to go back to your family and stay safe."

Kol wrapped his arms around her waist in a secure grip. "What about you love? You really think I'm going to leave you alone? No way in hell. And I've been there so trust me."

Tears fell from her eyes. "So have I."

Kol frowned, pressing a kiss to her temple before picking her up. Bonnie didn't resist; instead, she closed her eyes, falling prey to her nightmare of a lone dark red throne now with her name on it.

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Bonnie woke up to someone nudging her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open and landed on a handsome boy with dark hair, wearing ripped jeans and converse who was staring at her.

Bonnie perked up in her seat, straightening her posture as her eyes scanned her surroundings. She was back in the eerie subterranean setting. Her eyes fell on the boy, her heart plummeting once she recognized him.

"Jake?" She rushed over and on instinct grabbed his face, her eyes roaming his familiar visage but not registering the look of confusion on his face. "Why are you here? What happened? I—you're—were…what happened to you?" Her wide eyes, stared up at him imploringly, desperate for an answer as to why a human Jake could possibly be in this place. Fears swirled around her head, but the worst one wouldn't disappear—the chance that Jake was turned.

The young man frowned, momentarily at a loss for words, but finally recovering. "As much as I love such a hot girl touching me; for whatever reason I can't lie to you, so I have no clue who Jake is…" He pointed to himself, a grin forming on his face, which caused Bonnie to drop contact immediately. "Kai Parker at your service, beautiful." He laughed, shaking his head. "I don't know what I did to be rewarded with someone that looks like you to greet me, but I will take it." He opened his arms, expecting a hug, but Bonnie stood still.

"I'm…sorry. I thought you were someone that I knew." Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but none of it seemed to phase him.

"Babe, I will be anyone that you want." He attempted to move closer, but with a wave of her hand, she forced him to stay at his spot. Kai's eyes widened, his mouth opening slightly before a laugh filled with disbelief and joy erupted from his lips. "You are a witch? This keeps getting better! So am I…well technically warlock, but you get the idea."

Stunned, she fell backwards, landing on her seat once again. "A warlock?" She forgot where she was and allowed a small smile to grace her face. "I've never met another witch or warlock close to my age." Suddenly remembering the circumstances, she lost the smile, turning grave. "What happened?"

Despite getting asked such a heavy question, Kai reacted nonchalantly, shrugging slightly and replying cooly, "I killed myself. It's nothing new. I've been trying to escape my prison world that my father put me in, and I need to do that every once in a while to check if I'm making progress on figuring out an escape. Plus, it gets lonely." For the first time, Bonnie noticed a flash of sadness grace his face, which made her heart ache. This job would not be easy.

"I'm so sorry, Kai."

He snapped out of his melancholy, meeting her eyes and grinning slightly. "I'm used to it. Looks like I'm not the only one stuck in a bad situation." His eyes glanced over her crown, "You replaced the other person that was here…I hate to say I'm happy about that, but you are much friendlier. It's nice." He reverted his gaze to her eyes. "I definitely hate to say goodbye, but I must return to the bane of my existence."

Bonnie took a deep breath, her shoulder sagging under the pressure of this newfound burden. Tears prickled the corner of her eyes, and it took all her willpower to not let them fall. Holding her arm out, she braced herself for the pain, but it didn't happen even when Kai grabbed her hand.

He led her arm upwards and downwards into a formal shake; the sight would've looked ridiculous had they been in a sane situation to begin with. "It's been a pleasure…I didn't even get your name."

"Bonnie Bennett," she replied. "New prisoner of the veil or chauffeur to the other side…I have no idea." She rubbed the bridge of her nose and released a giggle that contained not the slightest trace of humor. "At your service."

Kai took a step towards her, "The nice thing about magic is that there is always a loophole. You'll find one. Like I will." His confidence startled her. This situation just seemed hopeless, but he still believed in a way out. He exhaled deeply, a huge smile radiating his face, and Bonnie was breathless at the sight—he looked so much like Jake. "I think my time might be up. Hopefully, one day we can meet under different circumstances. If not, it was nice to see such a beautiful sight like you even if it didn't last."

Bonnie suppressed an eye roll at his obvious flirting, choosing instead to offer him a reassuring smile. "It was nice to meet you too. Good luck." She trembled, awaiting the inevitable pain.

Kai's grip on her hand tightened before a sharp pang startled her senses so suddenly that her body went into shock, causing her vision to black out.

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"Bonnie," Kol tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, leaning closer to watch for any sign of waking up. He had refused to leave her side.

Klaus watched the young witch, his eyes calculating her still form, but he remained silent.

Kol persisted, "Little witch. Please…" He stroked her cheek.

The room's silence perpetuated the intensity—the whole original family stood surrounding Bonnie, waiting for an end to the tense silence until a desperate gasp of air abruptly ended their waiting. Bonnie's entire body buzzed with a strange mix of power and exhaustion that urged her to sit up and immediately address her new surroundings. "What?" She looked at Kol, who just captured her face in his hands, pulling her forward until her lips pressed firmly against his. He kissed her desperately, forcing Bonnie to forget the whirlwind of events that assaulted her within the past twenty-four hours and settle into the comfort of his kiss. Kol, mindful of her need to breathe, broke the kiss just long enough to hear her joyful lament over his presence in front of her.

"It worked," she smiled through her tears. "I knew it. I knew I could protect you."

Kol wrapped his free arm under her legs, bringing her onto his lap so he could embrace her tightly. "Why did you do that, Bonnie? You could have killed yourself! Never, do that again." His demand, startled her.

She shook the curls out of her eyes, releasing a cold laugh. "Are you giving me orders? Don't you know?" She positioned herself to look at the other members of eldest living vampire family. "I am now the proud keeper of the veil. That means I'm stuck suffering through every supernatural being's death." She used all of her strength to push herself out of her Kol's grasp and distance herself from all of the shocked faces. "That's the price I paid for my friends' decision to kill an original vampire—and not just anyone. You." Her lips twisted into a grimace as she clutched at the material of her new dress. "I couldn't take it. You have become my best friend. I told you that I wouldn't let anyone hurt you. I'm not the weak little human you took me for the first day we met in the woods. I have full control over my powers, and a new gig chaperoning the dead. I'm not in the mood for anyone doubting my capabilities." Bonnie settled her gaze onto Kol only, but in doing so, caused her to miss the dark glint that appeared in Klaus' eye as he listened. Perhaps, the family had finally found another witch to stand by their side.

"That may be, Bonnie," replied Kol. "But it doesn't have to stay this way. There must be a way to undo…"

Bonnie cut him off, "No. There isn't. Qetsiyah made it clear."

The name captured Esther's attention, and the original witch watched the teenager more carefully.

Kol persisted, "I don't bloody care about what anyone thinks. I refuse to let you suffer consequences over me. Love, please. I don't use that word ever, but I am now. Please let me help you. Tell me what's going on." Taking a hesitant step forward, Kol reached out to grab Bonnie's hand.

"What's going on is that I am facing consequences for a spell that I completed. It's all a balance of power, and I can't escape the fallout from such a powerful spell. There's nothing you can do, but what I need to do right now is find Elena. I need to figure out what the hell happened to you and why." She maintained intensely steady eye contact with Kol, and the torrent of emotions that whirled within her surfaced through her eyes—Kol could not find the will to argue with her, for her unsettling look floored him. He had never seen such a hardness in her eyes. It succeeded in breaking his often non existent heart.

"Let me come with you," he offered while linking their fingers together.

"One condition," she replied. "No killing. Let me handle this." She waited for a sign of acknowledgement on his part before leading him out of the room. Though the last thing she wanted to do was travel to the boarding house and confront everyone, she refused to wait for answers.

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Damon wouldn't leave Elena's side after her sudden collapse that followed hours of agonizing side effects from killing Kol. He kept a steady watch over her sleeping form, while he replayed the scary events of the previous night in his head. A small sound diverted his attention from a resting Elena to the opening archway of the house where Bonnie stood with her arms crossed defiantly. Standing up, he scanned her appearance, incredibly confused by her formal attire but even more angry at her absence this whole night. "Look who decided to show up," he sneered.

"Shut up," Bonnie simply replied. No trace of emotion on her face, save the glint of anger in her eyes.

Damon frowned, "Excuse me? You've been M.I.A. this whole night while Elena suffered. What the hell do you have to be angry for?"

"Just being near you is enough to make me angry," she confessed her thoughts with an air of indifference. "Plus, you're wrong to assume that I had nothing to do with Elena's recovery. She began to feel better a few hours ago, right?" When Damon refused to respond, she continued. "My spell worked. I saved my friend tonight. As always, I fix everyone else's mess."

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever, witchy. If you did do something right tonight then congratulations. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make sure Elena rests."

Bonnie clenched her teeth, anger surging through her, "She's my best friend. If anyone should be looking after her it's me. Don't you ever assume that I wouldn't go to the ends of the earth for the people that I love."

Damon shrugged his shoulders, sighing heavily. "Your speech over?"

She raised an eyebrow, settling on a small nod. "Sure, it's not like you are listening anyway." She turned to leave, pausing in the middle to glance back at Damon. "If you try to hurt Kol again, you'll have to deal with me." She didn't care enough to see his reaction; it didn't matter to her anymore.

 **A/N: I planned to update this story eventually. I know it's a long wait, but I hope everyone who reads the story enjoys it. Thank you all for reading this story and showing your support by writing reviews!**


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